Human or Monster?
by Midna Azusa
Summary: Sequel to Unseen Enemy. Judai somehow survived his fight with Yubel, but now he's got a problem. He's turned into something most people fear and hate. It doesn't help that Darkness is still on the move. Why does life have to be so difficult? Collab with Shadgirl2.
1. Resurrection

**A/N: This is the final installment of our trilogy, what comes after _Unseen Enemy. _I know we left off on a sad note last time, so let's pick up where we left off! I promise, no sad ending this time. Duel spirits talking is in italics, and words echoing in heads is written in bold and italics. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

In the woods outside of Domino City, there was an odd stone castle. Nobody used it—heck, nothing human even knew it existed. The only things that lived there were duel spirits, which all believed to be evil. They were wild and dangerous, and they would attack any and all humans they saw. So said the stories.

All was calm in the castle. The dungeon was empty, the halls had no guards, and the throne room lacked a ruler.

Suddenly, a massive lightning bolt hit the floor of the throne room. When the smoke cleared, a confused two-tone brunette stood there, his head throbbing. His headache wasn't helped by him trying to figure out what had just happened. The last thing he remembered, his friends were all here, being attacked by Yubel. Yet, looking around, he was the only one present. All of his friends were gone, even Yubel.

_So, did it work, or..._

Suddenly he heard a voice in his head—a very familiar voice. He'd been hearing it in there a lot lately.

_"__Arg. Oh, my head,"_ Yubel said. _"Nice work, kid. I'm gonna be feeling _that _one for awhile."_

Judai started. "Wha—Yubel!?"

_"__Arg..."_

He looked around, but she wasn't anywhere to be seen. Remembering that card she'd given him, he checked his coat pocket. He was surprised to find two extra cards in there.

"Huh?" He pulled them out and looked at them: Yubel – Terror Incarnate and Yubel – The Ultimate Nightmare, two-headed dragons that Judai hadn't seen since before this whole light thing. "Your other forms..."

Yubel appeared beside him, looking dizzy. She was swaying back and forth. _"Yeah, you idiot. Did you forget what you just did?"_

He hesitated before saying, "I...fused with you..."

_"__That's right. And, in doing so, your darkness merged with my light. But those two, though both evil, couldn't coexist peacefully together and became unstable, allowing that Super Polymerization of yours to absorb them and seal them away in there."_ She swayed again. _"Arg. Say, why are there three of you?"_

Judai stared at her for a moment, absorbing that. "I guess you're feeling worse than me."

_"__I guess. Arg... No, wait, I don't guess, I know!"_ Suddenly she stopped swaying and looked at him, upset. _"Judai, I'm so sorry! I only wanted to punish you for reminding me of what I had become, and instead that monster made me do far worse to you! I even cost you your first girlfriend because that dumb light used and abused my jealousy and made me act selfishly! That's why I sent Ayumi in to watch over you. I filled her with nothing but my guilt and sympathy and sent her to help keep you sane. I can understand if you hate me for all of that, but please try to understand, I didn't have a choice either! That dumb light's power was _way_ too strong for me to overcome! Please forgive me, Judai!"_

"It's okay. It wasn't you, so it's not your fault. Besides, I've known that for awhile now," he said, smiling at her.

_"__Wait, you have!?"_

"Neos told me what was going on... That's why I wanted to become a duelist so suddenly. He said I had to win duels to make that card safe to use."

_"__So that's why, huh?"_

Judai nodded then looked around, slightly worried. "Wonder how long it's been... I mean, it's not like everyone just vanished into thin air!"

_"__Who know. We just did, I think,"_ Yubel teased, though she was looking sick again.

"Heh." Judai closed his eyes, grinning. Then he thought about that for a moment. "Dang it, they probably all think I'm dead!"

Yubel gasped. _"You think you've got problems! I just realized I'm a part of you now! In other words, I no longer have a body of my own! So what's gonna happen to all my followers!? Without me, they'll have no place to go! They'll be subjected to the cruelties of prejudiced humans again!"_ She looked at Judai and said, _"Judai, we just can't let that happen! After all, I promised I'd watch over them from now on! We have to do something!"_

She was right, and Judai knew it. He just didn't know what to do. "...Right, uh..."

_"__Judai. You have to stay here."_

"I can't do that!" he protested.

_"__I'm not saying you can't leave or anything, but you have to live here so I can take care of the monsters! Come on, work with me here! This is no time for a selfish attitude! We need to compromise a little!"_

Dang, his life had just gotten a whole lot more complicated. He highly doubted the fiends would go from thinking of him as Yubel's servant to listening to him as if he were Yubel.

"...Isn't there someone else who can do that?"

_"__Have you seen these guys?"_ Yubel asked. _"They're all idiots or driven by revenge! If I left one of _them_ in charge, why, you may find yourself constantly fighting an army of angry, revenge-driven spirits. I was born and raised to be queen, and, though I never made it, I still got enough experience as princess to pull it off. There's no one out there that's better than me."_

"But they hate humans," he protested. "Are they really gonna follow a human, or you in a human's body, if you're not the one calling all the shots?"

_"__Uh, Judai? I'm not so sure you're human anymore..."_ She sweat.

"I can't stay here, Yubel! There's gotta be some other way..."

_"__Well, could you at least stay here til you figure it out? Otherwise I'm afraid they'll appoint Brron as the new king, and not only is he and idiot, but he's crazy! They don't call him 'Mad King' for nothing, ya know." _She looked at him lamely as she finished.

Judai groaned.

_"__Is that a yes, then?"_

Reluctantly, he said, "I guess..."

_"__Good. Now about your friends..."_

She kept talking, but Judai didn't hear. Something she had just said hit him hard right there: _**"I don't think you're human anymore."**_

"Wait, what?" he asked.

_"__Yeah, and I don't think you want your mom thinking—" _she started.

"No, no, no... What do you mean, you don't think I'm human anymore?"

_"__Oh. Uh... Looked in a mirror lately?"_ she asked, sweating.

"...What?" he asked in a small voice.

_"__Now, just so you know, it's nothing compared to what happened to me,"_ she said reassuringly.

Judai ran off in search of a mirror, not at all reassured that he wasn't a giant, two-headed dragon.

* * *

_"__I'm telling you, it's not that bad!"_ Yubel insisted as Judai frantically ran through her castle in search of a mirror.

"Yeah? But it's bad enough to make you think I'm not human?"

_"__Well, that, and the strange power I sense coming from you."_

"What!?"

_"__I'm not entirely sure myself on that one."_

He saw a full-length mirror at the end of the hallway. As he neared, he slowed, stopping in front of it and staring at his reflection.

In the mirror, there was a boy with his hair and eye color, definitely. But there were a few things that were off—his hair was a bit longer and smooth all across the top, his body was more toned than before, and the shape of his eyes was different. His jacket looked a bit different, too—longer and a bit of a darker red, he thought. All in all, he wasn't sure if he was looking at himself or someone who looked like him.

_"__See? Not that bad, right?"_ Yubel asked.

Judai kept staring.

_"__What?"_

"...Whoa..."

Yubel laughed at his reaction. _"Aw, come on! It mostly looks like you worked out for once! Well, that, and grew up..."_

"...Okay, yeah." He pulled his attention away from his new appearance, trying to get back to the issue at hand. "Anyway, my friends. And parents. Who likely think I'm dead and won't know what to make of this..." He looked at his reflection again.

_"__You're on your own there, kiddo,"_ Yubel told him. _"That's a subject I didn't learn."_

"Guess I'd better go home and let everyone know I'm alright."

* * *

Hayato, meanwhile, couldn't get Sho to leave the woods.

"No!" the blunette cried. "I'm staying right here!"

"But, Sho—" Hayato started.

"No buts, Hayato! These woods are home to all of Aniki's memories, including the day he died! So I'm never leaving them! I'll stay here and mourn his death in loving memory, forever!"

_"__Oh, wow,"_ Yubel said, stunned. _"Just when I think the kid can't get any worse, he goes and surprises me..."_

_Yeah, he does that...,_ Judai told her, also stunned. He walked over. "Hey, guys!"

Hayato gasped, turning to look at their friend.

"Oh... Hi, Aniki..."

Judai just waited for it to sink in.

After a moment, Sho said, "Wait, Aniki!?" He turned.

"Hey," he said. "What's up?"

Sho's eyes teared up, and he lunged at Judai.

"Anikiii!" he cried, latching onto the brunette. "You're alive! You're really alive! I'm so glad! I've missed you sooo much!" By the end of his little spiel, he was bawling like a maniac.

Hayato seemed to have gone into shock.

"Whoa! How long have I been gone, anyway?"

"I, uh, you're...," Hayato stammered. "Wow... Judai, is that really you!?"

"Yeah, Hayato. It's me."

Hayato grabbed him next, pulling him into a bear hug.

"Judai! It's really you!" he said, squeezing his friend. "I can't believe it!"

"Yeah! You can let go, though!" Judai said, slightly pained.

Sho didn't seem to notice Hayato's vice-like grip. Clearly he wasn't going anywhere for a long time. Hayato let go, though.

"T-this is great news! Come on! We've just gotta tell everyone! Hurry!"

Overly excited, the chubby boy ran on ahead.

Judai watched him go. _How long has it been? They're acting like they haven't seen me in months or years... _He looked at Sho and said, "Sho, he's right, we should go."

Sho just clung tighter.

"Sho! Can you let go, please?"

Sho shook his head and bawled some more, wrapping his legs around one of Judai's.

"...I can't walk with you clinging to me, Sho."

Sho still didn't respond.

_"__Sheesh! And you thought I was crazy,"_ Yubel said.

Judai pushed at his friend, trying to get him off. "Sho! Come on! I wanna go home!"

"Aniki! I can't! I just got you back! It's too soon!" He bawled some more, holding on even tighter.

"...Sho...please let go? If you were upset about it, think how my mom's taking it."

_"__Oh, just pick him up and carry him! He can't be that heavy!"_

Judai picked up Sho, who grabbed him around the waist and loosened his legs to make this easier for the brunette, then wrapped his legs around his friends waist instead. With Sho now held in an awkward position, Judai headed back to town.

* * *

Asuka stood outside of the Yuki's home, staring into space. The sound of crying coming from inside told her that Johan had broken the news to his family. He should be out soon, then.

Judai stopped when he saw Asuka standing there. He was carrying Sho bridal-style since the smaller boy had cried himself to sleep.

"...Hey," Judai said.

Asuka didn't respond, lost in thought. Judai walked up and stood next to her.

"Whatcha thinking about?" he asked, although he thought he already knew.

Again, no response from the girl.

"...Asuka."

Sho snuggled up against Judai. "...Aniki. So warm..."

"Oh, hey, Sho...," Asuka said absentmindedly.

Judai sweat and grunted, shifting Sho in his arms. "Geez, for a little guy, he's heavy..."

"I know... Wait, what?" she finally looked at him. Correction: stared. "J-Judai...?"

"Yeah, Asuka, it's me," he said. "Though I gotta wonder how long I've been gone..."

"J-Judai! It's you! I can't believe it! Judai!" She slammed into him, hugging him tight.

"Oof!" he said upon impact. "Hey, good to see you, too!"

"That's all you have to say!? Judai. I thought I'd never see you again! I mean, I thought you'd sacrificed yourself to save the world or something! Do you know how happy this will make everyone!? Or how much it means to me?" She shook her head, saying, "Of course not, 'cause I never told you, but I've sure learned my lesson, so here it is. Judai, I lov—"

Not wanting to hear that, Yubel spoke over her, preventing Judai from hearing it, either. _"Arg, gag me. Let me know when she's done. Ugh."_ Her presence in his mind weakened, and he could only assume she'd gone deeper into his mind.

Before Asuka could confirm that Judai had heard her, Johan came running out of the house.

"What's all the fuss abou—" He stopped and stared. "No way..."

"Hey." Judai held up Sho, asking, "Wanna come help me with this?"

"Judai! You're alive! Aw, that's just great! Way to make me a liar, pal!" Johan said, tears forming in his eyes as he ran over to help.

Johan took Sho out of Judai's arms. Asleep or not, Sho didn't like that. He hit Johan a bit, saying, "Aniki...baka..."

"'Cause I just got through telling your parents the bad news!" Johan went on. "So, how was it!?"

He sounded slightly excited, and, from the way everyone was acting, Judai was pretty sure he was asking about being dead.

"Honestly, I don't really remember much," Judai answered. "I activated the card, and the next thing I remember, I was standing in that throne room alone."

"So, wait, are you saying you didn't actually die?" Johan asked. "But we saw your body turn to dust and fly through the air! Come on, pal, don't tell me you survived that somehow!"

"Wait, what? What did you see?" Judai asked, startled.

"Judai! We saw you die with our own eyes!" Asuka said. "It was awful. The force of the fusion was too much for either of your bodies to handle, so they both fell apart."

_"__You're kidding!" _Yubel said. _"That means I'm dead!"_

Judai tried to absorb that for a moment. "Wait, if my body...fell apart...then..."

_"__Don't ask me, kid! I'm the ghost that's possessing you now! That's all I know!"_

Asuka nodded. "You're dead, Judai."

He paled.

"Well, maybe and maybe not!" Johan said, a bit nervous at the thought of talking to a zombie or ghost. "Why not check to make sure?"

Johan's voice suddenly sounded much farther away to Judai.

"...Check...?" he asked.

Johan put Sho down on the ground for a minute, then cautiously walked over to Judai and took his wrist, checking for a pulse. After a second, he started.

"Well! That's weird!" he said, sweating.

"What!? What's wrong!?" Asuka demanded.

Judai was as white as a sheet, looking like he was about to faint or something. "What's weird...?" he asked.

"Your pulse is normal," Johan said. "But that would mean you're alive and well, right? So what happened to cause that?" He thought about it.

Judai really wanted to hit him for scaring him like that.

"That is pretty strange," Asuka said. "I mean, if your real body died, then where did this new one come from? Did the card create it or something?"

"...Guys, I've already got a headache," Judai said. "Please don't make it worse."

"Well, the card was a fusion card, and fusion usually takes two separate objects and merges them together to form a new one, so maybe?" Johan said, ignoring Judai.

He was getting less and less comfortable with this discussion. Dead? New body? What the hell?

"...Guys..."

"Hold on, Judai," Johan said. "We're trying to figure this out. I mean, _nobody_ just comes back from the great beyond like that, it's crazy! Hmm..."

"...Can you do that without me?" Judai asked, not sure he wanted to know what had happened.

Sho sprang up, wide awake all of a sudden. "Aniki! Why!? What are you thinking of doing _this_ time!?" he demanded. "You can't! I don't wanna lose you again! Please don't—"

"I'm not doing anything!" Judai cut him off. "Calm down. I just... I'm tired, that's all. And I've got a serious headache."

All of this stress wasn't helping that any, either.

_"__...Agreed...," _Yubel said. _"...Johan just turned all black..."_

"Then I suggest you get some rest _before_ you go see your folks! 'Cause, once they find out, I guarantee you, sleep's gonna be impossible for the rest of the day, and hugs and kisses are what you'll get instead!"

Judai swayed a little bit.

"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't go in there if I were you," Johan said. "Better come with me, and I'll find you a nice, quiet spot where you can rest."

Johan hoisted Judai's arm over his shoulders and walked him off to find a quiet place for him to rest up a bit. None of these three were sure exactly how he was alive, but they weren't complaining, either.


	2. New Powers?

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Judai took a good long nap under a tree nearby, with Johan staying near, before he went home to his parents. Sure enough, Johan was right about the reaction he'd get—there was a lot of hugging, kissing, and cuddling from his mother, especially.

When he finally had five minutes to breathe, he headed to his room, locking the door so they couldn't just barge in on him. On the way, he glanced at the calendar—if any time had passed, it had only been a few days. Heck, his friends being here probably meant no time had passed at all. They would have been at Duel Academy by now, wouldn't they? And it wasn't like it was summer or anything. At least, it didn't feel like summer. It felt about the same outside as it had earlier.

_"__Wow. Your parents really love you, don't they?"_ Yubel observed, jolting Judai from his thoughts. _"Now I'm jealous."_

Judai just grinned, sweating, and laughed shortly.

_"__You know, you really are lucky to have a family like that. Mine was never there..."_

"Because you were an orphan, yeah."

_"__Why did they have to do it? How could they both leave me like that? I'll never forgive them."_

"I'm sure they didn't want to...any more than any parent wants to leave their child," Judai told her. "Life can be cruel sometimes."

_"__Yeah. No kidding,"_ she said. _"I mean, look at us, for example. I'm a monster spirit. My misguided hatred ruined _your_ childhood, and now this. What's next? We gonna turn into a tree or something?"_

"I hope not. As it is, I already don't know what I am!"

_"__Well, it's obvious _I'm_ a ghost duel spirit now. So maybe our next transformation will be like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," _she said, rolling her eyes.

Judai paled. They'd read that story in school recently, and he knew he sure as hell didn't want to have something like _that_ going on! This was close enough as it was.

"Don't even go there..."

_"__I wouldn't worry about that, young ones,"_ a voice said.

A muscular white man with blue and red designs came down through the ceiling.

Yubel started. _"Y-you're—!"_

"Neos!?"

A hero from another planet, Neos was the one who had helped Judai save Yubel from the Light of Destruction. He had provided Judai with a means of freeing her from its control...even if that had resulted in him getting fused with her, creating a new body for him.

_"__I've come to congratulate you on your hard work so far," _Neos said. _"Thanks to that, you've grown much stronger, not only as a duelist, but as a person, too. Your fusion with Yubel only served to increase your powers even more. Perhaps the light misjudged how things were meant to play out because you now have more than enough power to awaken these cards and defeat Darkness once and for all."_

As he spoke, Neos held up six rectangular stones, each tinted a different color—black, white, yellow, red, green, and blue. Each one looked like they could be card cases or something.

_"__Wait. What are you saying?"_ Yubel asked. _"That this was a good thing? Are you crazy!?"_

_"__Unfortunately not,"_ he answered. _"You're a monster of the _dark_ attribute, and his powers grow in strength using the Darkness of Creation to fuel them. So, by fusing with a dark monster, it has magnified his powers tenfold."_

Judai didn't understand a single word Neos had said, save that Yubel was a dark-attribute monster. He stared at him for a moment before saying, "Okay."

_"__Here, Judai. Try using your new powers to awaken these cards,"_ Neos said, holding the colored stones out to him. _"Then you're all set to fight Darkness whenever he appears."_

Judai looked at the stones for a moment, unsure.

_"__What's wrong?"_ Neos asked. _"They're not dangerous like the Super Polymerization card was. Trust me. Take these cards, and things will start getting better."_

_"__Tree, Judai, tree,"_ Yubel whispered in his mind, worried about what those cards would do to them.

Judai thought about that a second. "You sure about that?" he asked Neos.

Neos nodded.

"Okay, then," Judai said.

He reached out and took the cards, but nothing happened. They were just colored stones still.

_"__So, that's it?"_ Yubel asked, looking at the cards lamely. _"Ooh, scary. Colored stones. What's so great about those?"_

_"__You must use your new powers to activate them,"_ Neos said. _"Otherwise they'll remain useless."_

"Powers? What powers?"

Yubel started. _"Wait, I think I know..."_

She transmitted her idea to Judai so he could try to activate the cards. He did as she instructed, transmitting dark energy to the cards in his hand. The cards reacted, glowing, changing, until he was holding six Duel Monsters cards.

As six new monsters appeared, Yubel gaped at Judai, staring at his face. He didn't notice—he was too busy gaping at his new monsters.

A large black cat—a panther—wearing a cape yawned and said, _"What time is it?"_

A black, humanoid scarab beetle asked, _"And who are you? Are you the chosen duelist?"_

Judai stared, somewhat stunned. "Uh, I guess..."

_"__Well, it's an honor to meet you,"_ said a red bird, humanoid, with white wings. _"My name is Air Hummingbird, and these are my companions. Flare Scarab, Grand Mole, Glow Moss, Aqua Dolphin, and Black Panther."_

Looking at them, Judai could guess which was which—the beetle was Flare Scarab, the cat Black Panther. The others were equally obvious—Grand Mole was a giant mole with pieces of a drill split in half around it; Aqua Dolphin was a blue, humanoid dolphin; and Glow Moss was the glowing man.

Black Panther yawned, apparently still half asleep.

"I'm Judai..."

Aqua Dolphin nodded. _"Well, Judai, since you awakened us, I assume you're the one we've been waiting for. So, from now on, we pledge to fight alongside you, and, together, we can put an end to Darkness once and for all."_

The others nodded.

_"__It's all up to you now," _Black Panther said. _"The fate of the world is in your hands."_

The six new monsters disappeared, and the cards entered his deck, which started glowing in rainbow colors for a moment. When the glowing ceased, Judai looked through his deck and found many new cards—Neos and the six Neo-Spacians he'd just met, along with support cards and Neos fusion monsters.

"...Okay, that's cool," Judai said, staring at his new deck.

Neos nodded before he, too, vanished, entering Judai's deck.

_"__...Judai...find a mirror, please...?"_ Yubel said, pointing at him in shock.

"Huh? Now what?" he asked her, worried.

She pointed at his bedroom mirror, wide-eyed, and said, _"Just take a look..."_

He walked over to the mirror and looked, not sure he wanted to know what had happened to him this time. What he saw made his eyes widen—which made the difference even more obvious. His eyes had changed colors. One was orange, the other was green.

It took a moment for him to recover and say, "Aw, man! How'd _this_ happen!?"

_"__Beats me, but...can I have my eyes back please...?"_

"...How...?" he asked, not sure how to get his eyes back to normal.

There was a knock at his door. "Judai?" his mother called. "Honey? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Mom!" he called back. _Could her timing be any worse?_

"You sure, son?" his dad asked. "Can we come in and see?"

_Crap, they're both out there! What do I do!?_ Judai stared at the mirror, frantic. "Uh..."

The doorknob rattled. "Judai? Why's your door locked? Come on, son! Let us in! Don't make me break it down!"

_I can't let them see this! What do I do!?_

_"__Sunglasses! Over there!" _Yubel said, pointing at a pair on top of his dresser. _"Hurry!"_

"Judai, I'm gonna count to three, and, if you haven't opened up by then, I'm coming in there!" his dad called. "One, two..."

Judai grabbed the sunglasses, putting them on as he opened the door.

"Thr—" His dad stopped, looking at him in confusion. "Why are you wearing sunglasses at this hour, son?"

_Why am I wearing sunglasses, why am I wearing sunglasses...?_

"The light in here's kinda bugging my eyes right now?" he said, sweating.

_"__Nice,"_ Yubel said lamely.

"Oh, my poor baby," his mom said. "Are your eyes still recovering from that whole incident this afternoon? It's okay. I'll turn the lights down."

"Well, why didn't you say anything sooner?" his dad asked. "We can understand that, Judai. It's not that big of a deal. Sure. We'll turn the lights out. I've got a flashlight in the closet we can use instead."

"Good idea, dear." She turned back to her son and asked, "Would that help some, sweetie?"

"Yeah," Judai said, thinking that they couldn't see his eyes in the dark. "But you don't have to do that..."

"Nonsense," Mom said. "If it helps you, it doesn't matter what we have to do. I was thinking of going to bed early anyway. This just gives me more reason to." She smiled.

"O-okay..."

"Well, anyway, I'd better get that flashlight," Dad said, walking off.

"And I'll go light some candles," Mom said. She put a hand on Judai's shoulder. "It's going to be okay, sweetheart."

Yubel tried to suppress a laugh.

_Oh, cut it out, Yubel,_ Judai thought.

_"__Candles. Priceless! Can't wait for dinner, then." _She burst out laughing, unable to contain it.

_I said, cut it out!_

Yubel kept laughing as Judai's mom walked off.

_"__I can't!"_ she laughed. _"It's too much!"_

_It's not that funny. Stop laughing and help me figure out how to fix this!"_

_"__You're having a candlelit dinner with _both_ your parents... Hilarious!"_ She smirked, thinking of his reactions to her attempts at romantic dinners with him when he was younger. They always made him so uncomfortable.

_Yubel!_

_"__R-right, sorry."_ She snickered again.

Judai shut his door and took off his sunglasses, looking in the mirror again as he thought about how to fix this little problem of his.

"Okay... What the heck caused this?"

_"__Well, I'm guessing using those new powers of yours did," _Yubel said. _"'Cause you were fine before that."_

"So how do I _undo_ it?"

_"__Hmm..."_

While they tried to figure it out, Judai's eyes faded back to brown, though he couldn't figure out how it had happened—was it something he did or did those things have some sort of timer?

_"__...What just happened?"_ Yubel asked, slightly stunned.

"I don't know."

"Judai!" Mom called. "Dinner!"

He made his way through the (candlelit) house to dinner (by candlelight). Afterward, he and Yubel spent the better part of the night trying to figure out what had happened to change his eyes back to his original color.

* * *

"Judai? Honey? You planning on sleeping all day?" his mom asked, shaking him gently. "Come on, answer me."

He moaned. "Five more minutes..."

"So you're still recovering from that horrible ordeal, then? I take it that means you're too tired for breakfast?"

His eyes shot open. "Breakfast?"

Yubel humphed, sweating. _"Typical."_

"Oh, my! So you _are _awake!" Mom laughed, then said, "Then why not get up and get some breakfast. We have a surprise visitor for you."

_Surprise visitor?_ Judai wondered. "Okay."

Mom smiled and walked out.

_"__Hmm. A surprise guest, huh? Three guesses."_

* * *

Judai got dressed, then headed to breakfast. Sure enough, Yubel was right—Sho was sitting at the table, eating breakfast with Judai's parents.

"Aniki!" he said, a huge smile on his face. "You're up! How are you feeling!?"

"I'm fine, Sho," Judai answered with a smile. _Please don't pounce me again, please don't pounce me again..._

Sho sighed. "That's a relief. Your parents said you weren't feeling too well last night. So, are your eyes better today?"

Judai sweat. "Yeah."

_"__Yeah. They're fine for now, at least." _Muttering, Yubel added, _"Still don't get what happened, though."_

"That's good. So, are you hungry? 'Cause your mom made scrambled eggs this morning!" Sho said cheerily.

"Yeah, I'm starved!" answered Judai as he sat down to eat.

"So, Aniki, if you're really okay, then, uh, would you feel up to going to the park today?" Sho said as they ate.

Judai swallowed a bite of food, then said, "Yeah, sure!"

"Great! 'Cause everyone's looking forward to seeing you again! They still can't believe you're really alive, Aniki!"

* * *

"I'm telling you guys, I saw it with my own two eyes!" Johan said to the others as they waited for Sho and Judai in the park. "He's alive and _will_ be here soon to prove it!"

"Are you sure you didn't dream it?" Akiko asked for the tenth time.

Haruko sniffled and said, "You'd better be right, Johan..." Her face was red from crying over Judai's death. While she may not have loved him, she certainly didn't like having a friend of hers die so young, especially one with such a tragic past.

"No, it's true!" Asuka insisted. "Honest! He's a bit different now, but he _is_ alive! So you can stop worrying about me now, Fubuki!"

Yep, her brother was among those gathered there. When he had learned that her friend had died—something that Haruko had called him about in tears—he'd been ready to comfort his sister on the death of her boyfriend. Then she came home smiling. When he mentioned the death, she had insisted he was alive and well. Feeling she'd gone into denial, Fubuki had decided to never leave her alone until she was out of it, even going so far as to sleep in her room the night before, regardless of how many times she hit him.

"But, Asuka—!"

Kathleen gasped. "Hey, guys! Look!" she said, pointing at something.

Everyone turned to where she was pointing to see Sho coming over with...Judai. All but Johan, Hayato, and Asuka stared.

"Hey, guys! Look what I brought!" Sho called as he ran over to join the others.

"Pinch me. I'm seeing things," Manjoume said. "Is that really who I think it is?"

"Hey, guys," Judai said.

Haruko stared. "He's..."

"Alive," Akiko finished.

Haruko stared another moment before correcting, "Hot..."

Asuka glared at Haruko. "What was that, Haru!?" she demanded.

"An observation. Don't worry, I know a guy who's taken when I see one!" she answered with a wink.

"But—that's... I mean, you can't be—What?" Kathleen stammered in total shock.

"I hate to say I told you so, but...," Johan said with a grin.

"Aw, come on! You all thought I was dead?" Judai said, also grinning.

"But that's impossible!" Amon said. "You couldn't be alive! Not without a body, that is!"

Judai shifted. "I have a body," he said defensively.

"It's true, guys!" Johan assured them. "And it comes complete with a beating heart, too, see!?" He gestured to Judai.

Manjoume gaped. Akiko, not taking Johan's word for it, grabbed Judai's arm.

"Hey...," he protested.

"...Well, Aki? Surely not, right?" Kathleen asked. _I mean, something feels way different about him. What is that unusual power I'm feeling?_

Akiko timed it, checking his pulse to make sure it was actually normal, not just there. After a minute, she let go, saying, "Well, not only does he _have_ one, but it's normal."

"What!? But that's impossible! He doesn't _feel _normal!" Kathleen exclaimed. She covered her mouth, realizing what she'd just said. "Oops."

"What do you mean by that!?" Manjoume demanded.

Ojama Yellow appeared beside Manjoume, saying, _"She's right, Aniki. He sorta feels like me, but not quite. Something's really off here. Why not ask him what's up?"_

Manjoume looked straight at Judai, concerned.

Judai looked around at them all, suddenly worried. "What?"

"Judai, you feel kinda...supernatural," Kathleen said. "Like you're straight out of some horror movie, but I can't quite place my finger on what kind. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde comes to mind, though..."

_"__Okay,"_ Yubel said lamely. _"That's just rude."_

"Wh-what!?" Asuka stared at him, concerned.

Judai just stared, not sure whether he should be insulted by Kathleen's words or worried by them.

When he didn't say anything, Asuka asked, "Judai, what exactly happened to you out there? I know what you said you were doing just before you disappeared, but what happened after that?"

"...I fused with Yubel... That's all I know."

"So let me get this straight," Kathleen started. "That declaration to fuse yourself and her actually worked? So are you saying you're part Yubel now, and _she's_ what I'm sensing?"

"That's what I'm guessing..."

"So you're part duel spirit, now... Okay," she said. "I guess that's it, then. I take it back. You're not out of a horror movie. Just a fantasy one..." She laughed awkwardly.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Fubuki stood gaping. _He's...what, now? Part...duel spirit? B-but that would mean... Nah, I must have heard them wrong. That can't be it!_

"Okay. That's kinda cool," Manjoume admitted. "What's it like?"

Judai thought about his eyes changing colors last night as he answered, "Uh... Weird."

"Aw, come on, pal," Johan said. "Tell us what it's like. Bet it comes with some sweet perks! Like maybe you're less vulnerable to injury or disease now? Maybe you got some cool new superpowers, like the Hulk or Spiderman! Hey! Maybe I should try it!" He laughed.

"No," Judai said, sweating. "You shouldn't. Not unless you have to. I'm still figuring out what exactly it's done to me."

"So what have you learned so far?" Amon asked.

"That I've got new powers and my eyes change colors when I use them."

"Really!? Can _we_ see!?" Kathleen said, getting overly excited. "Pretty please!? Huh!? Well!? Please!"

She had her hands cupped together, batting her eyelashes in an attempt to look cute. She reminded most of them of an excited fangirl asking her favorite celebrity for an autograph.

"No!" Judai said. After all, he didn't know how to undo it.

Kathleen deflated. "Aw, come on. Why not?" she whined.

"Three reasons..." He counted them off on his fingers. "1, We're in public. 2, I don't know exactly what that'll do. And 3, I don't know how to get my eyes back to normal afterwards!"

"Well, what causes them to change, exactly?" Kathleen asked.

"Using my powers, I guess..."

"Then I think I've got an idea," she said. "Come on! Let's take this some place more private!" She ran off, apparently not taking no for an answer.

"Kathy! Wait for us!" Johan called, running after her.

"Heh. This I gotta see. Come on, you idiot," Manjoume said, grabbing Judai's arm and dragging him off after Kathleen.

"But, I don't..."

The others followed, including Fubuki. Only later would anyone realize that it wasn't wise to be letting an outsider gain this sort of information about their friend, even if he was a brother of one of them. By the time they realized this, it would be too late.


	3. Not Human

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Kathleen led the gang out of the park and found an empty alley. Once they were all there, she said to Judai, "Okay, shoot. Let's see those powers of yours."

Everyone waited anxiously, something Judai noted nervously.

He looked around at them all, then asked, "Do I have to?"

"Yes," Kathleen answered. "Now let's go."

"It's okay, pal," Johan encouraged. "You can do it!"

"Y-yeah, let's see it. It's not scary, is it?" Sho asked.

"Hurry up, you idiot!" Manjoume called.

"...Uh..."

He really didn't want to do this, especially after Sho asked if it was scary.

_"__Oh, just get on with it already,"_ Yubel said. _"It's their funeral."_

So he activated his powers. As his friends watched, his eyes glowed orange and green, and a black mist swirled around him. They cringed in fear, Sho ducking behind Hayato. After a moment, the mist faded, and Judai's eyes stopped glowing.

"W-what was that!?" Sho asked, still hiding.

The others seemed stunned.

"Cool...," Johan said quietly.

"Wow," Kathleen said. "Now _that_ was intense. Is that what your powers can do?"

_"__Judai... What was that?"_ Yubel asked him, sounding stunned herself. _"My third form can't even do that..."_

_I...I don't know..._

Asuka gasped. "Y-your eyes are—"

Judai looked at her, not liking the reaction. He knew what his eyes probably were—Yubel's.

Haruko was pale, looking as if she might faint any moment.

Akiko stared for a moment before saying, "Whoa..."

"Crikey..."

"...Okay. So your eyes are Yubel's now, huh? Any clue how to undo that?" Kathleen asked, looking mildly stunned. _'Cause I've got one! Turn off your powers already! They're overwhelming my senses, boy!_

"Uh...no."

"Wow...," Hayato said. "That's kinda scary..."

"Uh, have you tried powering down yet? 'Cause maybe you should," Kathleen asked, getting very uncomfortable.

_"__Ah! Of course! How stupid are we!? Why didn't we think of that sooner!? Go on, Judai. Try it!"_

He powered down, feeling like an idiot, the same as Yubel was. As his friends watched—save the hiding Sho—his eyes returned to their usual brown.

"That's better," Asuka said, looking relieved. "Yubel's gone from your face now."

Judai looked around at his friends, seeing frightened and stunned expressions all around. Sho's expression wasn't even visible—the little guy was still hiding behind Hayato, who had his hands over his eyes.

Stunned, Manjoume said, "Whoa..."

"Is it safe to look now?" Hayato asked, peeking.

Sho, looking stunned, peeked out from behind Hayato. "Aniki..."

"That's it? Heh, no big deal... It's kinda cool, pal, really," Johan said, catching the way Judai was looking at all of them. He laughed awkwardly.

Judai didn't answer. The way they were looking at him didn't really say the same thing. Amon kept staring at Judai, stunned speechless, just like most of the others seemed to be.

"Yeah, you got nothing on Haru's boy-crazies... Ever seen her on Valentine's Day? You don't want to," Akiko said, trying to make a point and get Haruko's attention at the same time.

She failed miserably—Haruko just kept gaping at Judai, a terrified expression on her face.

"I second that motion!" Jim exclaimed, hoping to get a reaction out of her before she made Judai feel worse.

O'Brien sweat as he thought about it. There was a reason he hated Valentine's Day.

"What!? Do I even want to know!?" Kathleen asked, shocked.

"Oh, I forgot!" Akiko said, eyes widening. "You've never been around for Valentine's Day! Well, you're in for a real treat in a few months!" She grinned evilly.

"...Johan...?" Kathleen inched toward him, picturing a one-person riot.

"It's okay, Kathy," Johan said, pulling her into his arms. "I'll protect you."

Haruko finally responded to that, snapping her attention to Johan as she protested, "H-hey! I'm not that bad! And I don't go that way!"

"Just keep Johan close on V-Day, Kat," Akiko said. "Keep him close."

"...Is that safe...?"

Asuka grabbed Judai and held on tight, saying, "Thanks for the tip, Akiko. I'll be sure to do that." She glared at Haruko.

Judai, slightly startled, took a moment to ask, "Asuka?"

"Oh, so because I give valentines to all my friends instead of just guys I like, I'm gonna steal your boyfriends on Valentine's Day?" and insulted Haruko said, her hands on her hips. "You know what? Forget it! You all suck! When have I _ever_ gone after Jim!?"

Johan said, "Well, never, but..."

O'Brien shrugged.

"Nah. She's never even considered it!" Jim said with a laugh.

"No, but I pity all single boys on V-Day...and any girls who get between her and the tough guys," Akiko said. She put a finger on her chin thoughtfully as she admitted, "Though I guess friends don't count, now that I think about it... Funny, all this time, I thought it was just because you knew I'd kill you."

"I second that thought," Asuka said.

"Well, that's part of it... But I'm not a home-wrecker!"

Kathleen wasn't sure—the others' reactions weren't too reassuring. "I sure hope not..."

Amon looked off to the side and muttered, "I have _got_ to find a girlfriend!"

Haruko looked at him, hurt. "Amon..." She shrugged it off and wrapped her arms around O'Brien, saying, "Oh, well, I've still got Austin!"

Akiko sweat, as did O'Brien, who saw a wedding in his future if people kept doing this to Haruko and he didn't lose her interest soon.

"Yeah, and maybe someone else, too," Asuka said, glaring at her as she clung tighter to Judai.

"I told you, I know when I guy's taken! Besides—"

That last word sounded a bit too scared for Akiko's liking, so she cut her off, saying, "Besides, he's not her type! Wants to be a duelist? She likes body-builders! Right, Ishiyama!?" She glared at her idiotic friend.

Haruko cowered under Akiko's glare.

Asuka let go of Judai, sounding stern as she said, "Good. Keep it that way."

"...Huh?" Judai asked.

"Ah, Aniki. You're so lucky."

"I still don't get what she sees in you, though." Manjoume humphed.

Judai lowered his head, thinking of everyone's reactions. "...Neither do I...," he said quietly.

"Hey, are you okay, pal?" Hayato asked him.

_"__Just so you know, I'm still jealous, but I'm taking your feelings into account, so it's fine by me,"_ Yubel said, wanting to be clear on her stance about him dating Asuka.

_Wasn't she afraid of me just a minute ago? _Judai asked her.

_"__Yeah? So?"_

"Aniki? What's wrong?" Sho asked, looking worried. "You don't look so good."

"Nothing. I'm fine," Judai answered, his head still low.

"Really? 'Cause you don't look fine," Johan said, also growing concerned. "Is there something you're not telling us?" Silently, he wondered, _Is that new body unstable or something?_

"I said I'm fine!" Judai snapped.

Asuka looked at him, concerned. "Judai?"

Most of those gathered were looking at him with some degree of concern by this point, Fubuki being a noted exception—he was still gaping.

"You alright, mate?" Jim asked.

Judai's hands clenched into fists, trembling at his sides, as he said, "I already answered that question, Jim. Stop asking."

"Why are you so upset?" Kathleen asked, sensing the emotion there. "You're alive, after all. You should be happy, right?"

Judai glared at her. "You know, you really are..."

Kathleen stepped back, shocked. Johan grabbed her and held her close.

"Hey, back off, pal!" he said. "She's just worried about you, that's all! What's gotten into you?"

Judai's eyes widened slightly—he'd just scared one of his friends, giving her a bad attitude just because she was concerned about him.

"I..."

"Judai, what's wrong with you?" Asuka asked. "You're acting so strange all of a sudden."

"...I'm sorry," he said.

Asuka looked at him questioningly.

"Aw, it's okay," Kathleen said. "You've got a lot on your mind right now's all. So, you're not gonna leave us again, are you?"

It was the question on everyone's mind, so she figured she might as well ask it.

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Then what's wrong? Come on, hon, tell us. Please?" Asuka said.

"...'Hon?'"

She stepped back, blushing. "What did I just say? I-I mean..." She laughed awkwardly.

Fubuki finally tuned back into Earth, understanding _that_ part of this conversation. His gaze snapped to her as he said, "You're serious! You actually..."

"Nii-san, shut it!" she snapped, blushing.

Fubuki gaped again, back to being lost in another world.

"I don't see what the big deal is," Kathleen said. "It's just Judai, and I call Johan 'hon' all the time. What's so different about him?"

Asuka sweat, dotted-eyed and red. "W-well..."

"I'm not human," Judai said, lowering his head again.

Sho, Asuka, Manjoume, Johan, Kathleen, Haruko, and Jim all asked the same thing: "What!?"

"...Oh, okay... That explains..." Fubuki fainted—this was all just too much.

Akiko groaned. _I was afraid he was gonna say that._

Kathleen got up in the boy's face. "What do ya mean, you're not human!? Of _course_ you are! Johan _and_ Aki checked you over! You're just different, that's all!"

"She's right, pal!" Johan agreed. "Like those X-Men or something!"

"X-Men...so I'm a mutant?"

Johan shut his mouth, realizing what he'd just said.

"So what if you are!?" Kathleen said. "They weren't that bad a group! Just _majorly_ misunderstood, is all! Why, I sometimes pretended I was one to try to cover up my 'psychic' powers growing up! There's nothing wrong with that!"

Judai activated his powers, causing wind to blow as a black mist appeared around him again. He was sure his eyes had changed again as well. A reaction, that's what he was after. And that was what he got; everyone ducked for cover.

"...That's what I thought..."

He didn't power down, but the wind died down, so the others relaxed.

"Well, what do you expect, you idiot!?" Manjoume demanded. "That's no light breeze, after all!"

"Is that really what you were hiding from?" Judai asked him doubtfully.

Manjoume's answer—silence—wasn't reassuring.

"Judai...," Asuka said quietly.

He powered down, and Sho peeked over Hayato's left shoulder, showing that he'd been hiding again.

"H-hey, it's not t-that bad, Aniki. I-I mean, at least you can control it, r-right?" he stuttered, surprised by the show.

The stuttering and hiding made Judai feel worse.

Jim shifted. "Sho...I'm not sure the stuttering's helping..."

"It's okay, Judai," Asuka told him. "We're not afraid of you, if that's what you're thinking. It's just going to take some getting used to, that's all."

"Don't lie," he said, looking at her with Yubel's eyes.

Asuka backed up slightly, looking nervous.

"Well, I think they're kinda cute, actually," Kathleen said. Muttering, she added, "Might be better if they _weren't _Yubel's eyes, though." She sounded slightly nervous.

"Really," he said flatly. "Here I thought you and Akiko were accusing Jim of being a pathological liar."

"That doesn't excuse her actions while you were growing up now, does it? Didn't think so."

_"__Yeah, I know,"_ Yubel admitted.

"So, you're all afraid of me because Yubel's a part of me now?" Judai asked.

Kathleen was the next to shut her mouth. She looked at Akiko, her eyes begging the tough girl to hit her for that one.

"Oh, wait, you aren't afraid of Yubel...," he amended, looking at Kathleen. "You hate her."

"Aki, hit me. I'm an idiot."

Akiko slapped her, hard.

"Hey, wasn't that a bit much?" Johan protested.

Kathleen shook her head, recovering. "Thanks..."

"No problem."

Johan just stared. _Okay, then._

"Come on, mate!" Jim said. "We're not afraid of you. I mean, I think there's more cause to fear Aki or Haru than you."

His tone flat, Judai said, "Really. And why's that?"

"Because Akiko's got quite a temper, and Haruko...uh, well..." He trailed off, not wanting to insult her.

"Is boy-crazy and makes it easy for guys to choose between getting eaten by wolves or dating her?" Akiko offered.

"Hey!" Haruko protested.

Amon nodded his agreement. "That, or getting drawn and quartered," he muttered.

"You're so mean!" Haruko wailed.

"...What?" Judai asked, stunned.

"Right, well, the point is, we've got no reason to fear you!" Jim said. "Sure, we might have been a bit...surprised at first, but it's not like we're afraid of you any more than we are Akiko!"

Judai thought about that a moment.

"Right," Akiko added. "And it's not like I scare everyone on a regular basis. You just fit in more with our group now, that's all."

Everyone else nodded, smiling. Well, except O'Brien and Manjoume—they just nodded.

"And that means you can protect me the next time I anger her, too!" Sho said, thinking of a long and painful story involving him and Akiko's wrath.

Judai looked around at them all. "...Guys..."

"She's right, Judai," Asuka said, giving him a reassuring smile. "No worries. We're completely over it now."

Judai smiled. "Okay."

With that settled, Hayato said, "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving. I could sure use a grilled cheese right about now."

"Aw. You're always hungry, pal!" Sho laughed.

"Actually, I agree," Johan said. "I'm starving. Wanna grab lunch, anyone?"

"Sure!" Kathleen said.

"Yeah, I could use a bite," Akiko admitted.

Jim looked over his shoulder at the crocodile strapped to his back. "What do you think, Karen?" he asked.

She growled, wiggling around a bit.

"She says she wants steak!" Kathleen said with a laugh.

Jim laughed, too.

Johan looked at the others. "So, what about the rest of you guys? You in?"

Asuka looked at Judai and asked, "Judai? Are you in?"

Fubuki revived at the sound of that—he sprung up, saying, "Wait, what? But I thought you wanted to finish studying for that math test?"

Asuka ignored her brother and pressed, "Well?"

"Yeah, I'm in," Judai said.

"Then so am I!" She looked at Fubuki and said, "Don't worry, Nii-san. There will be plenty of time to study later." She giggled.

Fubuki just gaped at her, stunned speechless yet again.

"Not me," Amon said. "I've got a lot to do today. Glad to see you're okay, though, Judai. See you guys later." He walked off.

"Yeah, I'm out, too," Manjoume said. Finally deeming himself that desperate, he added, "Think I'll go work out a bit before dinner."

This sentence had the desired effect—Haruko looked at him and asked, "Can I come, Manjoume? Everyone here's being so mean to me!"

"Only if you think you can handle it. I'm planning on getting real rough at the gym," he said, grinning slightly.

Haruko smiled. "Manjoume!" she cheered, clinging to his arm.

Manjoume grinned. _Got her. Now all I need...is a gym membership._

With Haruko attached to his arm, he walked off to join a gym.

"Did I really just see that?" O'Brien asked.

Akiko stared, stunned. "He's gonna regret that, isn't he? Then she'll be back to bouncing from guy to guy? I mean, Haruko can't _have_ a single boyfriend!"

She had a long history of boyfriends, and she had cheated on every one of them. Akiko knew the pattern. Though, granted, they usually cheated on her first.

"...Well, you never know," Kathleen said. "I mean, it could work out someday, right...?"

Akiko snapped. "No, it _can't_! You don't understand! You don't KNOW her!"

Jim laughed, pulling Akiko into his arms. "Well, hey, you and I could never work out, right, luv?"

"...Good point."

Kathleen just stared, stunned.

"It's okay, dear," Johan assured her. "She's just in denial, that's all."

"...Akiko's scary..."

Johan laughed, and the gang headed off to eat and celebrate their friend's miraculous return.

* * *

While they were eating, Judai told the others about his fiend-ruling dilemma, and Kathleen suggested putting one of the monsters in Yubel's deck in charge as a sort of stand-in for her, preferably something from her Lightsworn deck. Yubel said that would work, so Judai sent Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, to rule over the fiends.

_Well, that problem's solved,_ he thought. _Now I don't have to balance mine and Yubel's lives..._

Thinking about the reactions everyone had to his little power demonstration, he wondered if others would have similar reactions...or if they would reject him completely. Well, simple solution: Don't tell anyone else that he was part duel spirit.

Easier said than done. Especially considering that he had already told more than just his friends about this.


	4. The Aliens Have Landed

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

As Judai was heading home that afternoon, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed. He stopped in his tracks, wondering who would be following him, and why.

_"__You felt that, too, didn't you?"_ Yubel asked.

Turning, Judai saw a man with spiky black hair. He was dressed all in black, including his sunglasses.

"Who are you?" Judai demanded. "What do you want?"

"Judai Yuki," the man said. "We've been watching you for a long time now. And, I'm afraid, we can no longer allow you to live. You've become a great threat to our plans, and you _must_ be eliminated."

The ground below Judai's feet turned black, and shadows started grabbing onto him, wrapping around him.

"What the—!?"

The man smirked as the shadows started to swallow Judai, trying to drag him into another world. Judai cringed.

_"__Judai. Judai!"_ Neos' voice called. _"Can you hear me!? Use your duel disk! Summon me, hurry!"_

_What!?_

_"__You heard me! Do it! NOW!"_

Judai activated his duel disk and placed Neos' card on it. The intergalactic hero appeared, ready to fight.

_"__Now, Judai! Use your powers!"_

Understanding what Neos was going for, Judai activated his powers, his eyes changing colors as he did so. Neos blasted through the shadows around Judai and attacked the man, having become real when Judai activated his powers. The shadows dispersed, and the man dodged Neos' attack by turning to shadows himself.

"I see," he said as he reformed. "So, by using Yubel's powers, you can escape that one. A minor miscalculation on our part. But no matter, you will be dealt with soon enough."

Turning to shadows again, the man fled.

_"__That was Darkness, I'm sure,"_ Yubel said. _"Are you okay, Judai?"_

"Yeah. I'm fine," he answered.

_"__Be prepared,"_ Neos cautioned. _"This is only the beginning. He'll be back to challenge you next time, and, should you lose that battle, you will die. Darkness will stop at nothing to see to that."_

"Thanks for the warning, Neos."

As Neos disappeared, Yubel asked, _"So, now what do we do?"_

* * *

The next day marked the start of the entrance exams for those who hadn't won their way into Duel Academy through the tournament. First was the written exam. Sho and Hayato had signed up to take the entrance exam. Now Sho was regretting it—he was freaking out about it at school that morning.

"Oh, man! What am I thinking!? I'll never pass the entry into Duel Academy!"

"Now that you mention it...," Hayato started.

"Aw, come on!" Judai said. "You'll do fine!"

"He's right, guys!" Johan seconded. "You studied for it all week last week, after all. Trust me, you're ready for this."

Sho didn't look too confident when he said, "If you say so..."

"I do!" Judai said.

"Thanks, guys," Hayato said. "I'll sure try."

At that moment, Asuka walked into the classroom, sitting down at her desk and letting her head fall on it with a thump.

Judai looked at her, concerned. "Asuka?"

"Oh. Hi, Judai. What's up?" she said, lifting her head and looking at him. Her voice sounded gloomy.

"That's my line," he said. "What's the matter?"

"You really wanna know?" she asked lamely.

Judai hesitated. "Yes?"

Asuka sweat and said, "'Cause I'm not sure you do..."

"Tell me, Asuka."

"My brother's just told everyone in our family that I'm dating an alien. _And_ he's coming to Duel Academy with me to babysit. My parents think he's crazy, but..." She sweat again.

Judai was stuck on one thing she'd said. "...Dating an alien...?"

Asuka thumped her head on her desk again. "Uh-huh..."

"...He said you're dating an alien?"

"Yet _another_ reason I wish I was an only child," she muttered. "I don't need babysat, either.

"...An alien...?"

"Oh, forget about that," Asuka told him. "He's just an idiot. I sometimes think _he's_ one, too!"

Judai just stared, wondering why Fubuki would be thinking he was an alien.

"Hey, Aki, isn't this getting just a little old?" Kathleen asked as she walked in with the girl in question, who was still staying at her house. "I don't _have_ any coffee anymore, okay!?"

"I'm just making sure," Akiko told her. "I mean, it's not hard to _get_ coffee, y'know."

"Johan. Please tell her I'm okay," she said desperately, looking at her boyfriend. "I mean, it's not like I'm addicted to coffee or anything, right?"

Johan sweat. "Aki, I think she's good."

"I don't want a repeat of her last caffeinated incident. I'm not taking any chances. She's worse than Haruko in a room full of tough guys who don't know what a curse it is to have her crushing on them when she has caffeine."

"Aw, come on! Was I _that_ bad!?"

Asuka stared at the show for another moment before saying, "Okay, then." She turned back to Judai and said, "Well, anyway, Judai, don't worry about him, okay? You've got bigger problems right now. Thanks to that fool of a brother of mine, my parents want to meet my first boyfriend and are expecting me to bring you by soon."

"Wait, what?" he asked. _Isn't this a bit soon?_

"Exactly," Asuka said. "And they ain't taking no for an answer, either. So, until they meet you, we're forbidden to get together. So I think we should just get it over with. How's tomorrow sound?"

"Uh... O-okay..."

Manjoume and Haruko walked in then. Working out was exhausting, but Manjoume had done it all day yesterday for Haruko, and she knew it. The towel around Manjoume's neck attested to the fact that he had been at the gym this morning for a warm-up before school.

"Oh, Jun," she said, being more familiar now that they were together, "you're sooo strong! I can't believe you're doing this for me! No guy's ever done anything for me before!"

Manjoume humphed. "Well, of course. You're a one-of-a-kind angel, after all. I can't imagine why no one would."

Akiko gaped.

"Wow," Kathleen said. "That's gotta be a record, right? I mean, it's almost been a whole day now, and look. They're still together."

Akiko was still gaping.

"Hello. Earth to Aki," Kathleen said, waving a hand in the blond's face. "Anyone home? Jim's kissing Amon."

Even that didn't get her attention, so Kathleen decided to resort to more drastic measures—even though she knew she'd regret it later.

"Jimmy! How's it going? I just _loved_ that dance last night," she said, flirting with Jim before kissing him. _If I survive this, she's really sick!_

"Kathy!" Johan cried. "Nooo!"

Jim looked nervous as Kathleen ended the kiss. "Uh..."

"Huh?" Akiko blinked, then looked over at the two. "Say something, Kathleen?"

"Okay, that's it!" Kathleen said, grabbing Akiko's arm. "We're going to the nurse!"

She was dragging her out of the room when Akiko recovered.

"Hey, hold on a sec!" she said. "You were..." Yanking away from Kathleen, she punched her in the face. "Stay away from _my_ Jim!

Kathleen's hand went to her cheek. "Ugh... Welcome back, Aki." She grinned bitterly. "How was outer space?"

Akiko turned away, mad.

"Okay...I'm just gonna..." Sho got up and ran out.

O'Brien sweat and pulled out his toolkit, ready to get Sho out of the locker again.

"Hey, Sho! Come back!" Hayato called, following him out of the room.

Jim pulled Akiko into a hug, saying, "I didn't like that at all, Aki. Just so you know."

"Good."

Johan looked at his girlfriend. "Kathy, that was—"

"I know," she cut him off. "But it was the only way."

Asuka just gaped.

"Oh, my gosh! Did you seriously just do that, Kathleen Summer!?" Haruko demanded, disbelief and disapproval in her tone.

"Hey, it worked, didn't it?"

"Oh, shut up, Ginger Kat," Akiko said. Clearly she wasn't to mad, though, if she was talking to the red-head.

"Oh, whatever. I'm just glad you're back. You had me worried there for a bit."

Asuka stared, still stunned. After a second, she said to Judai, "And you thought everyone would be scared of you... She's worse...way worse..."

"...Sheesh...," Judai said.

* * *

After school, Sho, Hayato, Kathleen, and Johan went to take the entrance exams. They, along with Haruko, were the only ones who weren't in Duel Academy yet.

Normally Judai had tutoring after school, but Misawa was giving him a break, and Cronos didn't want to see him anymore than he had to after that duel they'd had, which had ended in a rather humiliating loss for him, so the boy actually got off school when everyone else did for once. His parents wanted him home as soon as he was done studying, still not totally over his "death" yet, so he was just heading home alone.

"So, according to the news, all of England's disappeared now!" he heard a man say as he walked along.

"It's the end of the world, I know it!" his friend said. "That's the third country to be hit by this thing! Have they learned what that thing is yet!?"

"Not yet, but it's safe to assume it's not human in origin. We better start attending church more often."

Judai watched the two men for a moment. _Should I assume that's Darkness' work?_

_"__Oh, not only _is_ that him, that's what he was trying to use _me_ for so that you'd stay out of it!"_ Yubel said. _"He's trying to bring about the end of the world by dragging all of mankind into his, just like he tried to do to you the other day!"_

_Well, that explains a lot, then._

_"__So, any ideas on how to stop him?"_

_Not a one._

_"__Great. So what should we do now?"_

As Judai tried to think of some way to fight Darkness, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Judai-sama? Is that really you?"

Judai turned to see a girl with long, dark hair and brown eyes. "Rei! Hey!"

"Wow!" she said. "So it _is_ you! You look a bit different. Have you been working out?" She grinned.

"Yeah, a little," he lied, not wanting to weird her out—she didn't know about Yubel, after all, and there was no need to tell her.

"Well, looking good! I almost didn't recognize you, Judai-sama!" she said with a smile.

Judai laughed a bit.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Rei asked.

"Well, I enrolled at Duel Academy."

"What, really!?" she said, looking shocked and upset. "So does that mean you're leaving soon!?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Aw, man! That means we won't be able to see each other as much! What are we gonna do?"

Judai stared at her. _What's going through her head?_

"Ah, I know!" she said. "I'll just have to get in, too! I'll prove to them that age is _just_ a number by taking the entrance exams and passing! Wish me luck, darling!"

She winked at him before running off to force her way into the exam.

_"__Aw. How cute. She wants to come with you,"_ Yubel teased with a snicker.

"...She thinks she's my girlfriend, doesn't she?"

Yubel laughed and nodded.

"...Crap."

Sure, he and Rei had been on a date, but it was only one, and he'd been forced into it anyway. Amon had said you couldn't have more than one girlfriend, and he didn't _want_ Rei as a girlfriend! He liked Asuka! Oh, he had to fix that.

"Hey, Rei!" he called, running after her.

He looked all over for her, but she was long gone—he couldn't find her anywhere, and he knew his parents would be wondering where he was if he didn't get home soon.

"...Oh, boy... I'm gonna have to straighten that out soon..."

_"__Hey, look on the bright side,"_ Yubel said. _"I'm not a part of it anymore. I don't need to be."_ She laughed a bit.

"That doesn't do me any good," Judai said. Looking up, he said, "Well, okay, I take it back."

After all, if she wasn't involved, she wasn't interfering and trying to force him on dates or keep him away from girls.

_"__Again, I am so sorry about that. I didn't mean to do it."_

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. It wasn't your fault."

_"__You keep saying that, but..."_

"I mean it. You weren't yourself, so you can't be blamed. Any more than Asuka can be blamed for what she did when you took over her body."

_"__...Uh..."_ Yubel sweat.

Judai looked thoughtful, then teased, "Though you _can_ be blamed for that."

_"__Oh, shut up!"_

Judai just laughed.

* * *

The next day at school, Judai asked, "So, how did the exam go, guys?"

"I think I flunked," Sho answered.

"Well, I'm pretty sure I'll get in, maybe," Hayato said hopefully.

"Great!" Johan said happily. "I'm sure I got a high score!"

"And I'm sure I beat everyone's scores!" Kathleen said. Muttering, she added, "Well, everyone but Misawa's, that is." Louder, she went on, "That test was so easy, it was almost fun!" She laughed.

Akiko sweat. "Only you..."

"Good for you, Johan," Amon said.

"Thanks!"

"Yeah," Sho said. "Good for him..."

"Aw, come on, you guys," Judai said to the two downers. "You couldn't have done that bad."

Sho looked down, staring at the floor.

"Maybe," Hayato said.

Asuka entered with...Fubuki.

"Hey, guess what. My brother stopped by for a visit," she said, sweating.

Judai sweat, too. "Please don't tell me he's here to see me."

"You bet I am, alien!" Fubuki said, storming over. "We need to talk if you're going to date my sister!"

"Nii-san, for the last time," Asuka said, eyes closed. "He's not an alien. Quit calling him one already."

"Well, he's not human!" Fubuki exclaimed. "I know a human when I see one, and they don't have those kinds of freakish powers!"

"Nii-san!"

Judai stared, slightly hurt by Fubuki's words. Though, at the same time, hadn't he been thinking the same thing himself?

"So, I've got some questions for you, and you better answer truthfully!" Fubuki went on.

"Nii-san, how many times do I have to tell you!? I can take care of myself!"

"I just need to make sure he's not going to do any crazy alien experiments on you!"

Judai stared at him a moment before asking, "Wait, what?"

Asuka slapped her brother for that one. "Would you grow up!" she snapped at him. "Just 'cause not everyone's from _Mars_ like you doesn't mean they're dangerous!"

"Hey, I saw him showing off his powers! And I didn't like the look of all that darkness swirling around!"

"...Sheesh..." She muttered, "Idiot."

Judai just stared, still hurt by what he was hearing.

Kathleen walked over. "I'm sorry, sir. But is there a problem here?"

Kathy hadn't come over alone—Akiko the Threatening was looming over Fubuki from behind. He sweat, feeling the danger so close.

"Ah, no," he said. "No, no problem."

"What?" Kathleen asked, looking at Karen sitting on the floor nearby. "Say something, Karen?"

She walked over to the crocodile, got down on her belly, looked up and growled. Karen growled back at her, and they continued this, having a conversation in Karen's native tongue.

Fubuki stared at Kathleen. "What planet are your new friends from, Asuka...?"

"I think she's from Venus...," Asuka said, just as stunned as Fubuki.

"Huh? Say something, human?" Kathleen asked, humoring him.

"...You're a Venusian?" he asked.

"Why, of course! And I take it you're from Mars, judging by your accent." She closed her eyes, smiling and looking cute.

Fubuki just stared at her.

"Well. Guess I was right," Asuka said. "You really _are_ a Martian. Just so you know, Judai's from Saturn, and they're super friendly." She smiled.

"Yeah!" Judai said, getting in on the act.

Fubuki eyed Akiko, who was still standing behind him rather threateningly. "And where are you from...?"

"Neptune," she answered without hesitation. "We're ruled by a tyrant."

"I'm from Pluto!" Haruko chimed in.

Totally shocked, it took Fubuki a moment to respond. When he did, he said, "Okay, I'm just gonna...go... Later, sis."

On his way out, he passed Sho, who said, "Meep, meep!"

Fubuki stopped and stared for a moment before heading out the door.

Judai smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"No problem," Kathleen said. "That guy's super gullible, I hear! He'll believe anything!" She laughed.

"He's not getting away with treating one of my friends like that," Akiko said.

"I've always wanted to see how Buki would react to me saying that!" Haruko said.

Akiko sweat. "That's my idiot..."

"Well, _I_ may have a problem with that," Asuka said. "I'll have to change my last name or be related to a lunatic!" She laughed.

"Don't worry about it!" Haruko said. "In a few years, you and Judai will be old enough to get married! Then your last name will change."

Asuka blushed. "Haruko!"

Haruko just laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt," Misawa said, "but class is gonna start soon. I suggest you all take a seat."

Judai, still hating school, deflated slightly. "Yeah, right..."

They all sat down, ready for another boring (to most) day of school.


	5. Meeting the Parents

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

"So, Judai, how do you want to do this?" Asuka asked, sitting down with her lunch. "Should I come get you after Misawa's done, or should I wait until you go home to get ready first?"

"I'll just...meet you at your place, okay?" he answered.

Tonight Judai would be going over to Asuka's house to meet her parents. Granted, after her brother's behavior that morning, he wasn't sure he was all that eager to visit with the family, but he didn't really have much choice if he wanted to be able to actually date his girlfriend.

"Okay, sounds good to me," Asuka said.

On the other side of the cafeteria, Fubuki was talking to an olive-haired boy. "I'm telling ya, Fujiwara! They're _all _aliens, and that _one_ girl's part reptile!"

"Yeah, right," his friend said. "I think you need some rest, pal."

"But it's true! Why don't you believe me!?"

"What are they talking about?" Sho asked, glancing over at the two.

"They're talking nonsense, of course," Akiko said jokingly. "Everyone knows that the native language on Venus is reptile."

"Ha ha. Very funny, Aki," Kathleen said, nudging her.

"You see what I mean about changing my name?" Asuka asked with a slight giggle.

Judai couldn't help but think Fubuki's behavior was a bad omen. "Heh..."

"So, Judai. You about done, then?" Kathleen asked, holding a 7th grade math book.

Judai sweat. "Aw, come on! I hate math!"

"So?" Kathleen asked with a grin.

Judai pouted.

"Come on, whiny," she said, still grinning, as she stood up. "Let's go."

"Oh! And don't forget," Misawa said. "You have a history test to take after school, so don't forget to study!"

Judai groaned.

"Don't worry, Misawa!" Kathleen said. "We will! Now get up!" she said to Judai. "We're going to the classroom for today's lesson. I need the chalkboard. Later, guys!"

She walked off with Judai following, whether he liked it or not.

Asuka looked at Misawa and asked, "You give tests?"

"How else can I be sure he's actually learning anything?" he answered.

Asuka laughed.

* * *

After school, tutoring with Cronos (who had taken up the challenge again due to a need to teach his students), and Misawa's history test, Judai headed back home to get ready to meet Asuka's parents.

_"__Heh. That test wasn't too bad,"_ Yubel teased. _"I could've passed that one."_

"I hate tests..."

_"__Aw, come on,"_ she smirked. _"They're not _that_ bad."_ She laughed a bit.

"Yeah, right," Judai said sarcastically.

_"__So, you're meeting your girlfriend's parents today? Isn't it kinda soon for that?"_

"I wouldn't know," he confessed, though he had been thinking the same thing. "This is the first time I've _had_ a girlfriend..."

_"__Whatever. So, what are you gonna wear? 'Cause you can't wear your school clothes, of course."_

"Uh..."

Judai looked through his closet to pick something out. He settled on a pair of brown pants and a red button-down shirt.

As he was changing his clothes, Yubel said, _"Seriously, though. Ever tried wearing something that was green or purple or something? I mean, I know you like red and all, but this is kinda ridiculous."_

Judai looked at himself in the mirror, wondering if he _should_ pick something else to wear. Winged Kuriboh appeared beside him, looking reassuring.

_"__Kuri kuri!"_ he said, telling Judai that red was fine.

_"__If you say so, small fry," _Yubel said.

With his wardrobe decided upon, Judai reached for a comb as he continued to get ready to meet the parents.

* * *

"Fubuki, for the twelfth time, they're not really aliens!" Asuka exclaimed. "Quit it already!"

Even in her own room, she couldn't escape that idiot brother of hers. She had been trying to get ready for Judai's arrival. She had donned a white shirt and yellow skirt, but that was all she had time for after finishing her homework before her brother started pestering her.

"But they said—!"

"That's because you were calling Judai one!" she cut him off. "Look, Akiko's just tough, Haruko's hyper and naïve, and Kathleen's psychic. As for Judai, he fused with a duel spirit using a magic Duel Monsters card. Not too unusual, seeing as how there's a hidden magic in the cards, anyway. Why do you think some humans can see duel spirits, hmm?"

Fubuki stared at her a moment, his mouth agape. "He's part duel monster?" he asked. In his imagination, Judai was attacking Asuka in a moment of anger, giving her 3000 attack points worth of damage.

Asuka sweat, realizing what she had just said. "Yes..."

Fubuki was still gaping at her when they heard a knock on the door.

"Ah, you must be Judai," their mother's voice echoed up the stairs to Asuka's room. "Won't you please come in? Have a seat. I'll go get Asuka."

"Thanks," Judai replied as he entered.

"Oh, great," Asuka muttered. "Fubuki, do me a favor and don't draw attention to yourself. I doubt our parents can handle it. Why, if you tell our mom that, she's likely to have a heart attack and die."

Not that she thought her parents would believe him, but she wanted to keep his big mouth shut for the evening. Judai had enough problems without her brother being a jerk.

"...You're dating a duel monster..."

"Yes. And, if you _must_ talk to him about it, take him someplace else later, okay?"

"Asuka? Fubuki? He's here!" their mom called.

"'Kay! We'll be right down!" Asuka answered.

Fubuki was still stunned. "...You're dating a monster..."

"Nii-san!" she protested. _I can see _this_ is going to be an unpleasant evening... _In yet another vain attempt to shut him up, she demanded, "Do you _want_ to kill Mom!? Shut up or don't come down!" She stormed out of the room, heading down to the living room to join her parents and boyfriend.

Fubuki stood there another moment, stunned, before he followed her down.

* * *

In the living room, Judai sat on the middle of the black couch, Mrs. Tenjoin on his right. Mr. Tenjoin was seated in a matching armchair. There were some refreshments laid out on the mahogany coffee table before them. Judai glanced around at the room as he waited for Asuka. The walls were white, with pictures of the family hanging on them, along with a flat-screen TV mounted on the one across from the couch.

"Ah, there you are, sweetie," Mrs. Tenjoin said as her daughter entered.

"Hi, Judai," Asuka sighed, taking a seat on his left.

Mrs. Tenjoin frowned. "Is everything alright, dear? What's your brother doing now?"

"Now he thinks he's a duel monster and is currently calculating his attack points," Asuka answered.

"Ooh, boy," Mr. Tenjoin said, shaking his head. "What is wrong with that head of his?" He started to rise from his seat, saying, "I'd better go talk to him."

Fubuki entered just then. He looked at Judai in silence for a bit before saying, "Hi, Judai."

Judai shifted uncomfortably. "Uh, hi..."

"Son, what's gotten into you now?" Mr. Tenjoin said as he sat back down. "It was bad enough when you thought only an alien would date your sister. Why do you think someone would have to be otherworldly to like her? She's not that bad at all!"

Sarcastically, Asuka said, "Gee, Dad. Thanks for saying that about me."

"It's not that they have to be otherworldly! It's just that _he_ is!" Fubuki said, pointing accusingly at Judai.

Mr. Tenjoin sighed. "Son..."

"I'm serious! He's not human! He's a monster, and I don't want to risk having him hurt my little sis!"

Being called "monster" was worse than being called an alien. Judai knew that people hated duel spirits, but he hadn't expected that hatred to effect him—it wasn't like he was one, really.

"Nii-san!"

"Fubuki!" Mrs. Tenjoin protested. "That's too much! He doesn't seem that bad! He's just a little shy, that's all." She looked at Judai and asked, "Right, dear?"

"...Right...," Judai said, the hurt showing in his voice.

"Fubuki Tenjoin!" Mr. Tenjoin said. "Take that back right now! Can't you see you're hurting his feelings!?"

"But—"

"Fubuki?" Mrs. Tenjoin said sternly, her arms crossed.

Fubuki sighed. "Sorry."

"That's better. Now sit down and behave yourself."

Fubuki took a seat on the blue carpeted floor.

Satisfied, Mr. Tenjoin turned to Judai and asked, "So, how long have you known my daughter? I hear you transferred into her school a month ago?"

"Uh, yeah," Judai said. "That's...about how long I've known her, too. See, we kinda met on Fubuki's show..." Silently, he added, _Sort of, I guess..._

Fubuki had a live game show he did in the mall every day around ten. He had either single men or women hidden behind three curtains, and called a member of the audience to be his contestant. After asking some questions, the contestant would pick one of the three hidden behind the curtains, and the two would go on a date. Judai still wasn't sure how Fubuki had talked Asuka into being in the show in the first place, and he still wasn't sure how he'd gotten picked for it, but it had been the start of...something. Even though they had technically met sooner, Judai wasn't even going to try to explain his past to Asuka's parents—it was way too complicated.

"Fubuki! You never mentioned anything about this!" Mrs. Tenjoin said with a grin.

Mr. Tenjoin teased, "Yeah. And that's a new one, considering."

"Well, she said it didn't go well," Fubuki said. "She called him a five-year-old."

Judai blushed.

_"__Ah, so true,"_ Yubel teased before laughing at his embarrassment.

"That's because it was his first date, and he was so nervous he was acting like one," Asuka said. "Right, Judai?"

The blushing boy stuttered, "R-right..."

"So, that's it, huh?" Mr. Tenjoin said. "Ah. I remember my first date. I took your mom to a bowling alley. And dropped a ball on her foot." He laughed.

Mrs. Tenjoin laughed, too. "Yeah, so I got him back for that by kicking him in the shins."

"I told her it was an accident, though!"

"Well, it still hurt, hon."

He laughed.

Asuka sweat. "You guys..."

"Uh, anyway, so I'm guessing you two got back together somehow?" Mr. Tenjoin asked, getting back on subject. "'Cause that sounds like it should've ended there."

"Well, we stayed friends," Judai answered. "And, well, I guess things changed over the past month."

Asuka nodded and said, "Yeah, I got to know him better by tutoring him on weekends."

"So, you're her first student, then?" Mrs. Tenjoin asked.

Judai was blushing again—he hadn't really wanted Asuka's parents thinking he was an idiot, even if he was really far behind in, well, everything. "Uh, yeah..." He stared at his hands, which were folded in his lap, not knowing why he was feeling so uncharacteristically shy today.

Fubuki's leg started bouncing in his anxiety.

"Well, that's okay, son," Mr. Tenjoin told Judai. "I'm no Einstein, either. But what I _do_ hear is you're quite the extraordinary duelist! Just how good are you?"

Fubuki couldn't take it anymore—he stood up. "He's a duel monster! A dueling duel monster! Am I the only one who finds that at all suspicious!? Is he trying to conquer the world and put humans in their place!?"

"Fubuki!" Mrs. Tenjoin scolded.

"You're out of line, young man!" Mr. Tenjoin said, getting to his feet. "Now sit down!"

"I don't want that _thing_ anywhere near my sister! Asuka, why are you dating a monster like _him_!? There are plenty of _human_ boys who like you!"

Asuka's hands were clenched into fists, but that didn't do anything to stop them from shaking. Through gritted teeth, she said, "Nii-san...?"

"That's it," Mr. Tenjoin said. "Get out of here! Go to your room at once! Now!"

_Monster?_ Judai thought. _Is that really what I am?_

"I'm not going anywhere as long as that _thing's_ around!" Fubuki said, pointing at Judai.

"That's it! You're grounded! Now go to your room, or there's no supper for you!" Mr. Tenjoin said, pointing toward the stairs with a stern look on his face.

Mrs. Tenjoin put a hand on Judai's shoulder. "It's okay, dear. Don't take it personally. He can be a real handful sometimes, that's all."

"What's a missed meal compared to the lives of my family!?" Fubuki countered. "I'm not going anywhere, and I don't care what you do to me! There's no way I'm leaving you at the mercy of this monster!"

That was all he could take—Judai ran from the room.

"Judai!" Asuka called, running after him.

As the sound of the front door shutting reverberated through the house, Fubuki looked at his parents and knew he was in deep trouble.

* * *

"Come on, Judai!" Asuka called as she chased after him. "He didn't mean it! He just doesn't understand, that's all!"

Judai stopped running, his head lowered.

"Judai, it's okay," Asuka said as she caught up to him. "He's just being an idiot, is all. Come on. Come back inside. My dad will make sure he doesn't say _that_ again. Please?"

He didn't answer. He just stood there, his head still low.

"Judai..." She walked over and pulled him into a hug. "It's okay. Nobody thinks of you as a monster. Don't worry. I'll be sure to straighten him out for you. Believe me, by the time I'm done with him, he'll regret everything he said just now. So you see? It's going to be okay."

He couldn't help it—he started crying. What if Fubuki was right? _Was_ he a monster? He couldn't forget that most humans hated duel spirits, and his own friends had been afraid when they had found out. Would all others react in a similar way to Fubuki if they found out? Was Fubuki going to go around telling everyone, and would they actually believe him?

"Oh, Judai," Asuka said. "It's okay. Don't cry. I don't care what he says. He's wrong, anyway. You're not a monster, you're just...different, that's all. Come on, cheer up. It's going to be okay."

He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Okay?" she asked.

"...Okay..."

"Come on inside, Judai. Mom's making a special dinner to celebrate my first boyfriend, and I'm sure you're hungry. What do you say?"

He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Okay."

The two headed back inside, Judai feeling apprehensive. If Fubuki was acting this way because he thought Judai was a duel monster, then how would others react? Fubuki had somehow figured out his little secret, the one he was still afraid to tell his own parents even. Heck, after his friends' reactions to the news, he wasn't sure he should tell anyone. Would Fubuki, who had actually witnessed these new powers of his, tell everyone? Would anyone actually believe him? Would Fubuki lead the people in an effort to rid themselves of the "monster?" No, that wasn't possible. He couldn't be that cruel.


	6. A Shadow Game

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Hope it's worth it. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

As Judai headed home that night, Yubel said, _"Well, aside from that jerk, they seemed pretty nice."_

"Yeah," Judai said.

_"__Ooh, that guy burns me up! Who does he think he is, treating you like that!? Oh, what I wouldn't do to give _him_ some of this!"_

Judai was silent, thinking of Fubuki's reaction to his little discovery. If that was how his girlfriend's brother reacted, how would people with no connection to him treat him if they knew?

A dark mist appeared out of nowhere, pulling Judai from his thoughts.

"Huh!?"

The mist surrounded him, trapping him inside, and the black-clad man from earlier appeared.

"Judai Yuki," he said. "Your time is up."

"You again," Judai said, on guard now. "What do you want?"

"I have come to put an end to you once and for all. Your existence is a threat to this world's future, and we cannot allow you to interfere. Therefore, I shall defeat you right here and now. Prepare yourself. This shall be your last duel."

A duel disk appeared on his arm. Judai pulled his out of his backpack and put it on, activating it.

_"__Be careful, Judai,"_ Yubel warned. _"Whatever that thing is, it means business! Just don't let your guard down, okay?"_

_I won't, _he assured her.

"Now, before we begin, allow me to explain a few things about this fight," the man said. "First off, this is no ordinary duel. It's a Shadow Game, and, when you play a Shadow Game, the loser always pays a price. Now, look around you. This wall of shadows restrains the powers of duel spirits, and, should one be summoned outside of this duel, real or not, the spirit will be destroyed; and, if you lose this battle, this place shall become your eternal prison. However, if you manage to win, it will disappear, and I shall perish."

Judai's eyes narrowed. "Okay."

_"__Oh, you better win this. I hate shadows!"_ Yubel joked lightly.

_I wasn't planning on losing._

"Duel!"

Judai: 4000  
Man: 4000

"I'll go first," the man said, drawing a card. "I summon Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World." (Atk 1600)

A creature who was all muscle and bone—literally—appeared on the field, wielding a rather lethal-looking staff.

"Now I activate Dark World Dealings. Each of us draws a card, and then we discard one from our hands to the graveyard."

Both drew a card from their decks before sending one off to the grave.

"I activate the special effect of Sillva, Warlord of Dark World," the man said. "When this card is sent from my hand to the graveyard by a card effect, I am allowed to special summon it to my field."

A large silver and black fiend, with feathers on his shoulders and curved horns on the sides of his head, Sillva rose out of the ground and took his place beside Beiige. Black wings hung down his back.

"Then I play one card face down. Turn end."

Judai's eyes narrowed slightly. _Dark World monsters, huh? Yubel had Dark World monsters for followers..._

"It's my turn, then!" Judai said as he drew his card—and drew his mind away from Yubel's followers. "I activate Polymerization to fuse Wildheart and Bladedge into Elemental Hero Wildedge!" (Atk 2600)

The tribesman with the golden armor and the sword appeared on Judai's field.

"Wildedge, attack Sillva!" Judai commanded.

Wildedge shot the spikes off his arm at the enemy monster, but the man in black wasn't going to let that happen.

The man laughed slightly. "Counter trap, Mirror Force," he said. "This card destroys all opposing monsters on the field."

Wildedge's attack hit a barrier, bouncing back to destroy him instead.

_"__Idiot! When are you going to learn to pay attention to face-downs!?" _Yubel demanded. _"Are you trying to get us stuck here!?"_

Deciding to ignore the rude voice in the back of his head, Judai said, "Tch... I summon Clayman in defense mode."(Def 2000).

A bulky hero made of stone appeared, kneeling on Judai's field.

"Then I'll play a card face down and end it at that."

"It's my turn," the man said. "Draw." He glanced at his card, then said, "I activate Card Destruction. This card sends both our hands to the graveyard, and then we both draw as many as we discarded." As he did this, he said, "And with that, my Kahkki, Guerilla of Dark World's effect activates. When this card is sent from my hand to the graveyard, it destroys one monster on the field."

A hand emerged from the ground, wielding a jagged knife. The knife sliced through Clayman, wiping him out.

At the same time that Clayman was destroyed, Judai felt a sharp pain in his chest. _W-what is this!? This pain! _He clutched his chest, getting a sinking feeling about this duel.

"And with that, you have no monsters to defend you," the man said, looking rather smug. "I direct attack with Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World!"

"Not so fast!" Judai said, recovering. "I activate my face-down, A Hero Emerges! Normally, you'd pick a random card from my hand and, if it were a monster, I'd summon it. But there's only one card in my hand right now." He smirked. "And, even with that hand destroying strategy of yours, it's still a monster! Come out, Neo-Spacian Grand Mole!" (Atk 900)

One of Judai's new monsters, a mole with a drill split in half around its neck, appeared to take Beiige's assault. The drill pieces connected, and the mole charged the enemy head-on.

"When Grand Mole does battle with another monster, he and the opposing monster return to the owners' hands. Without damage calculation."

Upon contact with the mole, Beiige returned to the man's hand, while Judai's monster went back to him.

"That move was meaningless," the man said. "I can still attack you directly this turn. Sillva, Warlord of Dark World, attacks you directly!"

Sillva drew a long blade and charged Judai, slicing through his torso. The pain that erupted in his chest was far too real, just like the pain resulting from Clayman's destruction earlier.

Judai: 1700  
Man: 4000

"Turn end," the man said.

Judai, clutching his chest, looked at the man before him. _J-just like before, that actually hurt. It's like dueling in Yubel's woods—the monsters really hit you._

_"__Be careful, you fool. This duel's _really_ dangerous," _Yubel told him.

_Right. Got it._

Glancing down, he was relieved to find that, while truly painful, the attacks didn't draw blood—that would have been difficult to explain to his folks...if he got home, that is.

"I'm up!" Judai said as he drew his next card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!" (Def 1200)

Clad in blue armor with a white cape, Bubbleman took his place on the field.

"When this guy's the only card on my field, I draw two cards!" Judai drew his cards, glanced at them, then went on, "Next I activate Pot of Greed! With its effect, I draw another two cards!"

Drawing two more cards, Judai glanced over his hand. _Alright! Just what I needed,_ he thought.

"I activate Miracle Fusion to fuse the Elemental Heroes in my grave with the one on my field!"

"Heroes? You only have one!"

Judai smirked. "Oh, really? Then how did Avian and Sparkman get in there? Oh, that's right—your card effects! I sent Avian to the graveyard when you activated Dark World Dealings, and Sparkman was in my hand when you used your Card Destruction last turn."

The man didn't look phased. Judai was starting to think he was dueling a living statue.

"So, if you don't mind, I'll fuse Avian and Sparkman with Bubbleman to summon Elemental Hero Tempest!" (Atk 2800)

Clad in blue and yellow armor, Tempest appeared, spreading his wings as he landed on the field.

"Now, Tempest, take out his Sillva!"

Tempest flew into the air before diving down at the monster in question, slicing through it and wiping it off the field.

Judai: 1700  
Man: 3500

"I set one card face down. Turn end," Judai finished up.

_"__Well, it's about time you made a smart move. Maybe we won't die after all."_

_Sheesh, don't be so confident, Yubel, _Judai thought, rolling his eyes.

The man drew his next card, saying, "It's my turn." He glanced at it, then said, "I activate Dark World Lightning. This allows me to destroy your set card at the cost of discarding one card from my hand."

"Discarding... Not again!"

"Now my Beiige, Vanguard of Dark World's effect activates, summoning it from the grave."

A hole appeared in the ground, and Beiige arose from it, reappearing on the field.

"Then I sacrifice him to summon Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World." (Atk 2300)

Wind swirled around the field, and Beiige vanished to be replaced by Goldd. Very similar in appearance to Sillva, Goldd was clad in golden armor rather than the silver that Sillva wore. He wielded an ax in his hands.

"Next I activate the spell card, Shrink, to cut your hero's attack in half," the man went on.

With his attack reduced to only 1400, Tempest was no longer a match for Goldd. Judai scowled.

"Now I attack your monster with Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World," the man said.

With one swing of his ax, Goldd destroyed Tempest. Even though the attack hadn't been aimed at him, Judai felt the pain as clearly as if he had been hit.

Judai: 800  
Man: 3500

"Turn end. Your life is hanging by a thread. You have no cards on your field, only two in your hand. You don't stand a chance of winning. Soon your presence shall no longer be minacious."*

_This is bad,_ Judai thought, looking at his hand.

_"__Oh, you think?" _Yubel cut in._ "Do something, will ya!? We can't afford to lose this!"_

_I know, Yubel! _He looked at his deck. _It's all riding on this draw. Come on, deck, don't fail me now!_

"It's my turn!" he said. He glanced at his card. _Alright! I knew you guys wouldn't let me down._ He slid it into his duel disk, saying, "I activate Convert Contact! With this card's effect, I send a Neo-Spacian from my hand and one from my deck to the graveyard to draw two cards."

After sending the monsters to his grave, he drew two more cards, glancing at them before continuing, "Next, I activate Cocoon Party! This has me summon a Chrysalis for each Neo-Spacian in my graveyard. There are two, so I'll summon Chrysalis Pantail and Chrysalis Pinny!" (Atks 800 and 100)

Two monsters appeared, surrounded by web-like cocoons. One was a small dark cat with white paws, a white muzzle, and a white tip on its tail. The other was a green, glowing, humanoid figure.

"Next I activate the field spell, Neo Space!" Judai said. The shadows gave way to rainbow colors, giving the impression that the two were floating in the midst of a swirling vortex of color. "This lets Pantail and Pinny use their effects, summoning their adult forms—Neo-Spacian Dark Panther and Neo-Spacian Glow Moss!" (Atks 1000 and 300)

Light engulfed the two small monsters, and they transformed into a black panther with a gold collar holding its cape on and a larger humanoid figure, still glowing.

"And what good does that do?" the man asked. "Those monsters are powerless before my Goldd, Wu-Lord of Dark World. That won't help you."

_He's right... Neither of them can beat Goldd. But I know what can. _He looked at the final card in his hand. _Here goes, _he thought.

"I activate Space Gift! This lets me draw one card for each Neo-Spacian on my field with a different name. So I draw two more cards." Pulling the cards from his deck, Judai smiled. _Alright!_

"Fake Hero, activate! This card summons a monster from my hand, but it can't attack and goes back to my hand during the end phase. But that won't be a problem! Come on out, Elemental Hero Neos!" (Atk 2500)

The white hero who had helped Judai out so much already appeared, taking his place on the field with his comrades.

"Thanks to Neo Space, he gains 500 attack points!"

_Such a pointless move,_ the man thought. _He can't possibly—_

"And Neos and the Neo-Spacians have a special power—something only they can do... They can fuse without a Polymerization card!"

"What!?"

"Neos! Glow Moss! Dark Panther! Contact fuse!"

The three rose into the air, merging together in a flash of light to create a new monster. A man clothed in black and white armor appeared, with white, bat-like wings and blue hair. One of his hands was black with sharp metal claws. The other was white, almost skeletal, and also clawed.

"Meet Elemental Hero Chaos Neos!" Judai said. (Atk 3000) "And, thanks to Neo Space, he gains 500 attack points!"

"3500 attack points!?" the man exclaimed, taking a step back.

"That's not all, either! See, Chaos Neos has an effect that has me flip a coin three times. If it lands on heads once, all my monsters return to my hand. If I get two heads, all your monsters' effects are negated for this turn." He pulled a coin from his pocket and twirled it between his fingers. "But I'm really hoping for three heads! So, let's test my luck!"

He tossed the coin once. It came up heads.

"That's one," Judai said.

Another coin toss yielded the same result.

"Two."

The final coin toss would settle everything—if it came up heads. Judai tossed the coin one last time. _Come on..._

Heads.

"Alright!" Judai exclaimed. "Three heads! That means all your monsters are destroyed!"

"What!?" the man demanded.

Chaos Neos formed a ball of energy, light and darkness swirling together, between his hands before throwing it at the man's field, eliminating Goldd and leaving the man's field wide open.

"Now that your monster's gone, Chaos Neos can attack you directly! Chaos Neos, finish this! Chaos Fury Flash!"

Chaos Neos flew at the man, slashing through him with his claws.

Judai: 800  
Man: 0

The man screamed as the shadows dispersed, gathering around him. It took Judai a moment to realize that the shadows were killing him. The man exploded in a burst of shadows, and all was normal—almost eerily so after that duel.

Judai caught his breath. "That...was close..."

_"__They're better than we thought,"_ Yubel said. _"You need to work on that deck of yours if you hope to win this."_

Before he could answer, a cold wind whipped up, and the man's voice said, "Judai Yuki. This isn't over. I'll be back, and, next time, you will die."

The wind died down. Judai stood there for a moment, silent. He staggered, nearly falling, and finally said, "Yeah, you're right, for sure."

_"__You okay?"_

"Yeah, I'm okay," he answered. He stood there a moment, recovering, to make sure he wouldn't fall on his face if he tried to walk. When he was sure he was steady, he said, "I should get home..."

After all, his parents were going to start wondering where he was, and then they'd start worrying. Not that he could blame them—he got in way more trouble than any kid ever should. Even more trouble than they knew. He ran off, heading home, hoping that his parents hadn't already called the police or something.

***Minacious: threatening.**


	7. Upcoming Dance

**A/N: Short chapter. Again. The next one should be longer, though, so don't worry! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

A week later, the school was abuzz. There was a Sadie Hawkins dance coming up, so all the girls were talking about who they were going to ask. Kathleen wanted to go, but she wasn't too big on asking the guy out. So she sought help—she stopped Asuka in the hallway that morning before school and dragged her into the girls' locker room to talk.

"Uh, Asuka? Can I ask you for a favor?"

"Sure," she answered. "What's up?"

"Well, as you know, the school's holding a Sadie Hawkins dance this Friday, and I was thinking of going with Johan, but it's so weird! Why should a girl _ever_ ask out a guy!? I mean, it's kinda awkward, ya know?"

"Not really."

"Whatever," Kathleen said. "Anyway, I was kinda hoping that, maybe, you and Judai could tag along with us?"

"Kathy, are you saying you're too shy to ask a guy out yourself, so you want to set up a double date instead?" Asuka asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Kathleen answered, sweating. "Pretty please? Help a girl out some, will ya?"

"Why don't you ask Akiko to bring Jim instead? Aren't you two best friends?"

As much as they fought, it was weird to say that they were best friends, but it was true. Somehow, it seemed the more Akiko fought with someone, the more she liked them.

"Well, we already tried the whole double dating thing, and it so didn't go well," Kathleen explained. "Besides, I doubt she's going."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the classroom, Akiko walked up to Jim and asked, "Jim, you wanna go to that Sadie Hawkins dance?"

"Sure," he answered, slightly surprised. Akiko normally didn't want to go to dances.

"Great," she said, heading to her seat.

* * *

Back in the locker room, Asuka said, "Well, in that case, okay. Let's ask them."

"Oh, thank you!" Kathleen said. "That's such a relief!"

The two headed off to the classroom to ask their boys out to this dance.

* * *

"So, Jun, do you want to go to the dance?" Haruko asked Manjoume, looking slightly nervous.

"R-really!?" he exclaimed, excited. "You're asking me!? Of course I will! Why wouldn't I!?"

"Really!?" she said. "It's just, no guy's ever actually said yes when I ask them out...even if it _is_ a Sadie Hawkins dance..." She clasped her hands in front of her, looking excited as she asked, "So, you're serious!? You'll go!? With me!?"

"Absolutely! After all, you're the first girl to ever ask me out." Muttering, he added, "Although I'll never understand why." Louder, he said, "I'd love to go with ya, baby!"

Haruko cupped his face in her hands, kissing him full on for that one. He wrapped his arms around her waist in response, pulling her closer.

"Ugh," Akiko said from the back of the room, rolling her eyes. "Gag me..."

Jim just laughed—Akiko really hated public displays of affection.

Asuka and Kathleen had entered just in time for this. A bit stunned, Kathleen stared for a moment before saying, "Okay!" She caught sight of their boys on the other side of the classroom, talking together before school, along with Sho and Hayato. "Ah, there they are! Come on, Asuka."

Asuka stared at Manjoume and Haruko another moment before following Kathleen over to the boys.

"Pinch me," Sho said. "I'm seeing things! Tell me that didn't just happen!"

Hayato, still staring, said, "That...didn't just happen..."

"So, uh, anyway, you seen the black-clad man lately?" Johan asked Judai, pulling his attention away from their face-eating, likely-to-strip-soon friends. "What's his name again?"

"Dunno," Judai said in answer to that second question. "But, no, I haven't seen him since that last time."

"And was he really that strong?"

"Yeah."

"Aw, man!" Sho said. "That's not good! What would've happened had you lost that duel!? He could've killed you or something!"

"And what happens if you lose to him next time?" Hayato added. "Can you actually survive another encounter with him?"

"Relax, guys, I'm sure it'll be okay," Judai said. "I've made some changes to my deck, so I'm ready for the next time he shows up."

"Ah, Judai, Johan, there you are," Asuka said, walking over to them with Kathleen.

Kathleen was blushing and stiff, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.

"Hey, Asuka!" Judai said, smiling. "What's up?"

Johan turned to look, wondering the same thing. Kathleen yeeped and looked away, blushing.

"Well, Kathleen and I have a question for the two of you," Asuka answered. "Right, Kathy?"

"R-right!" Kathleen answered, laughing awkwardly and sweating as she blushed deeper.

_Does this have anything to do with school or Fubuki? Either way, I don't wanna answer if it does, _Judai thought.

"What is it?" Johan asked.

Asuka eyed Sho and Hayato and said, "Well, it's kinda private, so mind meeting us in the hall?"

"Y-yeah! In the hall..." Kathleen sweat some more, nodding mechanically.

"Okay," Johan said, and he and Judai got up and followed the girls out into the hallway.

* * *

The hall was pretty deserted, with most people being in their classrooms already. Certain this was "private" enough, Johan asked, "So, what's up?"

"This doesn't have anything to do with math, does it?" Judai asked, unable to contain himself any longer. "Or Rei? Or Fubuki?"

Asuka laughed. _I guess Rei must be that girl Kathleen made him date that one time, _she thought. "No. None of those! And, about the last one, don't worry, I'm working on it."

Her brother was so stubborn. Even after a week, she still hadn't convinced him to leave Judai alone. He just seemed determined to view the boy as a threat now that he knew he was part duel monster.

"Anyway, I'm sure you both know about the dance this Friday, right?" she asked.

"Yeah...," Johan said, wondering where this was going.

"Well, Kathy and I were wondering if you guys wanted to hook up and go as a group?"

Johan smiled. "Yeah, sure!"

"Okay," Judai said, smiling a bit.

"Great! So," she giggled. "When should we pick _you two _up, then? Or would you rather we all meet up outside the school instead?"

The look on her face said that she'd just love to pick the boys up at one of their homes.

Johan wasn't sure what to say to that. "Uh..."

"Why don't we just meet outside the school?" Judai suggested. "Assuming Johan knows how to get there in the dark." He looked at Johan, teasing. "You do, right?"

"O-of course I do!" Johan said, clearly insulted.

"Want me to pick you up, hon?" Kathleen teased, grinning.

Blushing, Johan said, "No! I'll meet you there. Here," he amended, remembering that he was standing in the school. "Oh, you know what I mean."

Her hands on her hips, Kathleen said, "Promise you won't get lost, then?"

"I promise."

"Well, just to be sure," Asuka said, "can you go get him, Judai?"

"Sure," he answered, still grinning.

Johan's jaw dropped. "Oh, come on! I'm not that bad!"

"Useless in the woods with Ruby, separated from me, somehow got us all lost in the swamp, remember?" Judai said, referencing his attempt to confront Yubel earlier that year.

He had gone out to the woods to find out why he was still having nightmares, seeing as she had given them to him. Not wanting to go alone, he had tried to get Kathleen to go with him, but she didn't want to skip school, so Johan had tagged along instead. He managed to get separated from Judai and get lost in the swamp, even with Ruby guiding him, and got Judai caught by Yubel twice because of it. This ended with Judai having a bomb placed on him, eventually leading to a duel that had ended with his and Yubel's fusion. Needless to say, that whole ordeal had greatly influenced Judai's perception of Johan's sense of direction—or, rather, lack thereof.

Johan shut up, knowing that, at least that time, he _had_ been that bad.

_"__Wait, what?"_ Yubel asked. _"Judai, shame on you! I _know_ I taught you how to navigate that place. How could you possibly get lost out there?"_

_Fog,_ he answered. _Plus Johan's just _that_ bad..._

Yubel sweat. _"We covered fog clouds, too."_

_Again, Johan's just _that_ bad. He got his navigator, Ruby, lost, for crying out loud!"_

_"__Now that one I'll give you."_ She came out and looked at Johan, making herself visible and audible to the other spirit-seers. _"After all, who gets a trained scent-carbuncle lost, anyway?"_

"Yes. That's a good point, alright," Kathleen said.

Johan blushed.

Being the only non-spirit-seer around, Asuka asked, "What's a good point?"

"So, anyway, guess we'll see you guys then," Kathleen said. "Just so you know, Judai, this _is_ a special event, so try to dress up some, 'kay?" She winked at him, figuring it was his turn for some teasing.

"Yeah, I got it."

Johan jumped on the chance to return the taunting. "Don't worry! _I'll_ make sure he looks good!" he said with a laugh.

"Funny, Johan," Judai said, sweating slightly.

Back in his head, Yubel said, _"What goes around, Judai." _She laughed a bit.

_Yeah, yeah..._

"Well, anyway, we should get going, then," Asuka said. "Class time, Judai," she teased her boyfriend.

Judai groaned, still hating school like nobody's business. The four headed back into the classroom and took their seats just as the bell rang.


	8. Johan Plays with the Shadows

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

After school, Johan was on his way home—and not lost, mind you—when a shadowy wind blew in front of him. As the shadows dispersed and the wind died down, he saw a man dressed all in black standing before him. He matched Judai's description of the one who kept attacking him, from the black outfit to the spiky black hair and the sunglasses.

"Johan Andersen," the man said. "I've been waiting for you."

"Y-you're that guy my friend was talking about!" Johan said. "Who exactly are you!? And what do you want with my friend!?"

"Who am I? That's a good question. I suppose you can call me Trueman, for I speak only the truth," the man said. "Or Mr. T for short."

"What truth!? I've heard what you tried to do to Judai! You're trying to kill him, aren't you!?"

"Sadly, I'm afraid Judai Yuki isn't able to understand the truth. He has become somewhat of a nuisance and must be eliminated. As you shall be, soon enough."

"Me!? And what's so special about me!?"

"That dragon of yours. It's quite the inconvenient substance in the matter. It cannot be allowed to exist, and, since you're the holder of the dragon, you, too, must be destroyed! Now, prepare yourself!" Trueman said as a black duel disk appeared on his arm.

"If it's a fight you want, then it's a fight you'll get!" Johan said, activating his duel disk. "Bring it on, Mr. T!"

As the two prepared for their duel, the world around them turned to shadows.

Johan: 4000  
Trueman: 4000

"It's my turn," Trueman said, starting things off. "I summon Dark Archetype in attack mode." (Atk 1400)

A gray, four-legged creature appeared. Its feet were large and clawed, its head seeming to be dwarfed in comparison. Water dripped from the exposed muscle of its abdomen, there was some sort of machine around its neck, and its eyes glowed yellow.

"Then I play one card face down. Turn end."

_What? Judai said this guy used a Dark World deck! What's _that_ thing? I've never seen that card before..._

"It's my turn!" Johan said. "Draw!" He glanced at his cards, then continued, "I summon Sapphire Pegasus!" (Atk 1800)

A winged white horse appeared on Johan's field. The feathers of his wings were yellow, as were the wings on his legs. The wings on his back both had a sapphire embedded in them, and he had a horn on his head that was made of sapphire.

_"__Johan," _the pegasus said, earning the duelist's attention.

"What is it, pal?" he asked.

_"__Watch yourself,"_ the pegasus said, crouching a bit defensively. _"This is no ordinary duel."_

"Yeah, I figured as much." Silently, Johan added, _After all, Judai said last time he played a Shadow Game with this guy. I've gotta be ready for anything!_

"When he's summoned, I get to add one Crystal Beast to my spell and trap card zone! So come out, Ruby!"

A red gemstone appeared on the field behind the pegasus.

"Now, Sapphire Pegasus, attack his Dark Archetype! Sapphire Tornado!"

The pegasus took flight, whipping up a tornado as he flapped his wings and blowing the attack toward the enemy.

"Reverse card, open. Zero Gazer," Trueman said. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, this card reduces the target's attack power to zero."

Dark Archetype lost all its attack points, and the pegasus's attack wiped it out.

Johan: 4000  
Trueman: 2200

"Huh!? Why would you do that!?" Johan asked.

"Due to Zero Gazer, I draw one card now that damage calculation has taken place," Trueman said, pulling a card from his deck. "Now, Dark Archetype's effect activates. When it is destroyed by battle, I am allowed to summon a monster from my deck with an attack equal to or less than the damage I took. I summon Twinheaded Beast in attack mode." (Atk 1700)

A centaur of sorts appeared on the field, but with two lion heads rather than a human one. Its manes and tail were made of fire, and there was fire on its legs as well. There were black bands wrapped around the rear legs, the body, and the arms.

"Tch. I play one card face down. Turn end," Johan finished up.

"It's my turn. Draw," Trueman said. He glanced at his card, then said, "I activate Future Fusion. By sending material monsters from my deck to my graveyard, I am able to summon a fusion monster on my second standby phase after the activation of this card. I'll send five dragons to the graveyard."

Johan's eyes widened slightly. _Five dragons... Oh, crap! I've gotta end this duel before he pulls that off!_

"In two turns, that monster will eradicate you. In the meantime, however, I equip my Twinheaded Beast with Axe of Despair."

An ax with a sharp blade and a club-like handle appeared in the monster's hand.

"This card increases my monster's attack power by 1000 points. In addition, Twinheaded Beast can attack twice during the same battle phase."

"What!?"

"Twinheaded Beast attacks your Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus."

The monster charged, raising its ax to strike the pegasus. Bringing the weapon down, it sliced straight through the opposing monster.

Johan: 3100  
Trueman: 2200

Johan cringed slightly as a sharp pain ran through his chest. _Th-this pain...! It's just like Judai said! The battle damage is real! I better be _extra_ careful, or I may not survive this!_

A sapphire appeared beside the ruby on the field after the pegasus was wiped out.

"Now you have no monsters on the field. Twinheaded Beast attacks you directly," Trueman said.

"Not so fast! I activate my trap! G-Force!" Johan countered. "When an opponent declares an attack, this card makes the monster do battle with a Crystal Beast in my hand instead. Come on out, Amber Mammoth!" (Atk 1700)

A gray mammoth appeared. He had a white tuft of hair on his head, four tusks, and an amber in his forehead.

The two-headed centaur didn't stop—it charged at the mammoth and slashed it with its ax, destroying that as well.

Johan: 2100  
Trueman: 2200

Again Johan cringed as another burst of pain went through his body. Although the mammoth had been destroyed, an amber crystal appeared on the field, joining the other stones there.

"Thanks for the save, pal," Johan said as he recovered. "I'll be sure to make it up to you."

"I play one card face down. Turn end."

"It's my turn!" Johan drew his next card. "I activate Crystal Beacon! If there are at least two gems in my spell and trap zone, I can special summon a Crystal Beast from my deck. So, come out, Amethyst Cat!" (Atk 1200)

A large pink cat with gold wings on her ankles appeared. She had a gold emblem on her chest, with an amethyst embedded in the center.

"Next I summon Topaz Tiger!" (Atk 1600)

A white tiger appeared, topaz gems embedded in the sides of his neck. He had razor-sharp fangs and a horn on his head. On his ankles, there were sharp spikes that curved upward.

"And I'll equip him with Crystal Release, giving him an additional 800 attack points! Now, Topaz Tiger, attack his Twinheaded Beast! And, when this monster attacks, he gains another 400 attack points for a grand total of 2800!"

The tiger lunged at the enemy, tearing it apart with his claws.

Johan: 2100  
Trueman: 2100

"Next, Amethyst Cat attacks directly!"

The cat lunged at the man, slashing him across the face.

Johan: 2100  
Trueman: 900

"Turn end."

"It's my turn," Trueman said, drawing his next card. He smirked upon seeing the card he drew.

Johan knew that couldn't be good news for him.

"I activate Monster Reincarnation. I discard one card to add one monster in my graveyard to my hand. Next I activate my face-down trap, Call of the Haunted. Using this, I'll resurrect my Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World." (Atk 2500)

A black creature appeared, bearing a gold-tipped scepter in its hand. It had curved horns on its head and metallic wings on its back.

_Well, _there's _something I was expecting,_ Johan thought, exasperated. _Dang! Judai was right! This guy _is_ good! Well, only one thing to do now... _He sweat.

"Reign-Beaux, Overlord of Dark World," Trueman said, "attacks your Topaz Tiger."

Reign-Beaux pointed his scepter at the tiger, shooting a bolt of purple energy at him, destroying him. A topaz appeared with the other three gems in the spell and trap card zone.

"By destroying my tiger, you destroyed Crystal Release," Johan said. "When this card is destroyed, I can add one Crystal Beast from my deck to my spell and trap card zone."

As he spoke, he took a card from his deck and placed it in his last spell card slot. An emerald appeared on the field.

"Turn end," Trueman said. "And, next turn, my Five-Headed Dragon will appear and eliminate you. You're time is almost up, Johan Andersen." He laughed slightly.

_He's right. I'm running out of time! And, right now, all I have in my hand is Rare Value, a spell card. But I don't have any room to activate it. This next draw will determine everything._

"It's my turn! Draw!" Johan drew his next card. _Alright!_

"I activate the field spell, Ancient City – Rainbow Ruins!"

The shadows gave way to a Roman coliseum. Located in the mountains, the coliseum had pillars shooting up into a blue sky, where a rainbow arched overhead.

"This card's effect depends on the number of Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone. There are five, so I can special summon one of those beasts! Come out, Sapphire Pegasus!"

The sapphire exploded in a burst of light, releasing the pegasus from his slumber.

"Next I activate Rare Value. When there are two or more Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone, you pick one, sending it to the graveyard, and I draw two cards. So, which one's it gonna be?"

Trueman didn't even hesitate before he said, "Ruby Carbuncle."

As the ruby on the field disappeared, Johan pulled two more cards from his deck. _I won't let your sacrifice be in vain, Ruby,_ he thought. _I'll end it this turn,_ he thought, eying the cards he had drawn.

"This is it! Prepare yourself! I summon Cobalt Eagle!" (Atk 1400)

A brown eagle with white feathers covering his head appeared. There were blue gemstones embedded in his wings and chest, and orange feathers running down the back of his neck.

"What's so special about that?" Trueman asked. "That won't help you."

Johan grinned. "Oh, that's not even the best part! When all seven Crystal Beasts are on my field or in my graveyard, I can special summon this—my ultimate monster, Rainbow Dragon!" (Atk 4000)

"What!?" Trueman exclaimed, taking a step back.

Seven gemstones flew into the air, combining in a flash of light. Out of the light emerged a serpentine white dragon, with gemstones running down its sides, going from red to purple. It had white, feathery wings on its back and smaller gold ones on its sides.

"Rainbow Dragon, attack his Reign-Beaux! Rainbow Refraction!"

The dragon opened its mouth, forming an attack. A burst of light flew out of its mouth, a rainbow ring flying off it as the attack was launched. The blast hit Reign-Beaux, wiping him out.

Johan: 2100  
Trueman: 0

"You'll regret your arrogance!" Trueman said. "This is far from over! Next time, I shall see to it that you are removed from this world! Farewell for now, Johan Andersen."

With that, he was gone.

Sapphire Pegasus remained on the field after the others had vanished. _"That...thing's...a __real threat,"_ he said. _"Now I understand what Judai was talking about."_

"So, that's a Shadow Game, huh?" Johan said, catching his breath.

He couldn't help but wonder who exactly that Trueman guy was, and why he was after Judai. What was going on here?


	9. The Truth About Trueman

**A/N: Another chapter! And it's longer this time! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

The next day, to help Sho and Hayato prepare for the practical part of their entrance exams, Judai was dueling them both in a battle royal. They had headed to the park after school for this. Unfortunately for the two examinees, Judai was kicking their butts.

Judai: 3000  
Sho: 1500  
Hayato: 2200

Judai's field had Wildheart with 1500 attack points and Flame Wingman with 2100.

Hayato's field had Des Koala with 1100 attack. He had forgotten about its flip effect, summoning it in attack mode instead of using it to its fullest potential.

Sho's field had nothing whatsoever. He, too, had forgotten to use a monster's effect earlier. One of his cards, Patroid, would have let him check Judai's set card. Instead, he had attacked. Major mistake, considering that card was Mirror Force. Sho's monsters had been wiped out, leaving him wide open.

And it was Judai's turn.

"You're doing fine, trust me!" he said. "You just need to remember your monsters' special effects, that's all." He grinned at Sho and added, "If you'd remembered Patroid's effect, you wouldn't be getting a direct attack right now, buddy."

"Oh, shoot!" Sho said, backing up nervously.

"Now, Wildheart! Attack Sho directly!"

The wild man charged Sho, drawing his weapon and slashing through the boy, who screamed and fell to his knees.

Judai: 3000  
Sho: 0  
Hayato: 2200

"Sho!" Hayato cried.

"Alright!" Judai said. "You're out, Sho!"

Sho got to his feet. "Arg..."

"Sho! Are you okay!?" Hayato asked.

Merciless, Judai said, "Now, Flame Wingman attacks Des Koala!"

Flame Wingman blasted the brown koala, hitting it with flames from his right hand, which was a dragon head. The monster was destroyed easily.

Judai: 3000  
Hayato: 1200

"Aw, man!" Hayato whined.

"Now, for Flame Wingman's special effect!" Judai went on. "You take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points!"

Hayato's eyes widened. "What!?"

Flame Wingman landed in front of Hayato, his right hand in front of the duelist. Fire shot out of the dragon's mouth, hitting Hayato dead-on.

Judai: 3000  
Hayato: 100

Hayato dropped to the ground. "Okay, I give," he said. "I can't compete."

"Aw, come on, Hayato!" Judai said. "What kind of an attitude is that?"

As Judai tried to get Hayato to go on with the duel, Johan walked over. "Hey," he said. "Guys? What's up?"

Judai turned to his friend, smiling. "Hey, Johan!"

"Oh. Hi, pal," Sho said, not happy. _I hate it when Aniki kicks my butt..._

Johan took in the duel disks on his friends' arms and the cards still resting on Judai's and asked, "So, are you guys training for our upcoming field test?"

Hayato hesitated. "Well..."

"Yeah, and they're not doing half as bad as they seem to think," Judai answered, eying Hayato. _He's had low confidence before. I hope he's not gonna start hibernating again..._

"Are you kidding!?" Hayato protested. "You're kicking our butts easy!"

Sho sweat. "Yeah..."

"So? It's not like the exam duel's gonna have you up against me."

"Yeah, well..." Hayato and Sho rubbed the backs of their heads.

"Uh, anyway, pal?" Johan said to Judai, changing the subject. "Mind if I talk to you alone for a bit?"

"Sure," Judai answered.

He and Johan walked off, leaving Hayato and Sho to decide whether they were actually going to go through with this exam.

* * *

Johan walked Judai out of the park, stopping on the sidewalk just outside.

"So, what's up?" Judai asked as Johan turned to him.

"Okay, remember that man who keeps attacking you? Well, I saw him last night."

Judai's eyes widened. "What!?"

"Yeah. Said his name was Trueman, or Mr. T for short. Says he speaks the truth and was trying to eliminate me last night!"

Judai growled. "That lousy..."

Wasn't it bad enough that the guy was always after him? Couldn't he leave his friends alone?

"He said my Rainbow Dragon was a serious threat to him and his plans for humanity," Johan continued. "What's going on here, anyway?"

"You sure you want to know?" Judai asked.

"What? Do _you_ know something?"

"Only what I suspect."

"And what's that, pal?"

"That guy...Mr. T...is working with the thing that turned Yubel into a duel spirit. Darkness. Turns out, it's not a human that did _that _to her, but something worse that wants to... Oh, why don't you tell him, Yubel?" Judai asked, closing his eyes and putting a hand on his head. "You know better than me."

Yubel appeared beside Judai, making herself visible to Johan. _"He wants to send all of mankind to their eternal nightmares,"_ she said. _"A place where all that exists is pain, fear, and misery. He calls it the fate of all humanity and claims it's for the best. At least, that's the illusion he filled my head with."_

"What!?" Johan demanded.

Yubel nodded. _"And Judai here's the only one who can stop him."_

"Really?" He looked at Judai. "How?"

"Apparently I've got some sort of power, and I've had said power since I was born."

"Wha!?"

"Yeah. I'm still not entirely sure what this power is, but, apparently, it'll help me defeat Darkness."

_"__Kid, remember that power show with all the shadows flying around? That's it. Just magnified," _Yubel told him. Muttering, she added, _"I mean, at least, I think that was it."_

"Oh..." Judai thought about that for a moment. "So, that was me, not you," he said at last.

_"__Kid, I _am_ you, remember?" _she asked, grinning.

"Yeah, yeah," Judai said, waving that off. "Arg, that's weird..."

_"__Ooh. I'm a _ghost!_ And you think you've got problems."_

"Yeah, I do," he said, irritated. "I've got a female ghost in my head, dark powers I didn't even know I had, an enemy who wanted me dead before I was even born, and a girlfriend whose brother thinks I'm a dangerous monster! Quit trying to win, Yubel."

Johan sweat, glancing around. "Uh, Judai...?"

"Huh?" Judai blinked and looked at Johan.

"You two about done arguing...?"

Judai glanced around, sweating slightly. "Yeah, I think so."

_"There__ are _five_ people staring, and one's looking at me, so, yeah. Later,"_ Yubel said, vanishing.

"Okay, people!" Johan said to the gathering crowd. "Nothing to see here! Just a couple of spirit-seers having fun! Now move along, please!"

The crowd dispersed, talking amongst themselves.

"Sheesh," Johan said. "Some people. So, what you're saying is Darkness was after you even before you were born?"

Judai nodded and said, "That's why he changed Yubel. He saw me coming and knew what would happen if he made Yubel into a duel spirit. Though he thought she'd kill me."

Yubel nodded—she had told Judai that awhile ago.

Johan stared for a moment, trying to figure something out. Finally, he said, "Wait, so he wanted Yubel to destroy you? But isn't she over 1000 years old? How's that work, exactly?"

_"__Why, thank you, Johan Andersen,"_ she said in Judai's head, sounding annoyed. _"I totally needed to hear how _old_ I am. Guess that explains my _white_ hair, too!"_

"I guess he had someone who could see the future warn him I'd be coming," Judai said.

Yubel gasped, appearing beside Judai again. _"The light!"_

"What?" Judai asked.

_"__The light that 'illuminates' all! The Light of Destruction! It can see into the future! So, that's the __friend he mentioned!"_

"What!?" Johan asked.

_"__It's true. Darkness once told me he had a friend look into his future to see what would happen, and while I was under the power of the light, I could see this whole thing coming, so the light must have been the one who told him. But what _wasn't _predicted was that Neos would still manage to find you and stop me from keeping you from him."_ Yubel looked at Judai as she said, _"You're something else, kid. Anyway, if I was able to see all of that, and the light was his ally, then there's no doubt it's the one who looked into you, kid. And the way to stop you, of course."_

"Of course," Judai said.

"So, any idea where I come into all of this?" Johan asked.

_"__Don't look at me."_

"Not a clue."

"Well, he said it was actually my dragon he was after, so maybe there's something special about it?"

Yubel opened her mouth to retort, looking annoyed, but she didn't have the chance to speak.

"There you are, you monster!" Fubuki exclaimed, angry, as he stormed over.

Judai groaned. _Not this guy..._

"I've got a bone to pick with you!"

"Uh, can we help you?" Johan asked, glaring at the older teen.

"Yeah, you can help me! You can tell me why _that,_" he said, pointing at Judai, "is taking my sister on another date!"

Johan turned to him angrily. "Hey. That's my friend you're talking about!"

"Your 'friend' is a duel monster!" Fubuki accused. Turning to Judai, he demanded, "How many attack points do you have!?"

_"__Do you want me to shut him up for you?" _Yubel's voice asked in his mind. She was glaring at the offending boy.

_No,_ Judai answered silently. _That'll just make things worse._

To Fubuki, he said, "None."

That was true whether he was a duel spirit or not. After all, humans didn't have any attack points, and Yubel was a zero-attack monster.

Judai had hoped such an answer would deter Fubuki, but he just pressed on with, "Then what's your effect!?"

"Hey!" Johan snapped. "That's quite enough! He's not a duel monster, he's just got a real strong bond with one, that's all! Why can't you just leave him alone already!?"

"Humans don't have those kinds of creepy powers! And darkness swirling around a guy is usually a _bad_ thing!"

Yubel was shaking with rage. _"I'm gonna..."_

_Don't._

"So!?" Fubuki demanded of Judai. "What's your effect!? If you've got no attack points, you _must _have one!"

Judai, knowing he would regret this later, decided on the truth. Or part of it, at least. "I can't be destroyed in battle."

"Is that _all!?_" Fubuki demanded, getting up in Judai's face.

Johan tried to push Fubuki back as he said, "Okay, you want to know who the _real_ monster is here!? He's got dark brown hair, matching eyes, and is currently harassing someone he knows nothing about! Leave him alone already, you monster!"

"I'm just trying to make sure my sister's in good hands!" Fubuki told him. "I mean, she already hangs out with _aliens!_"

"Really!? You mean you!? 'Cause I don't know any other ones!"

"Akiko said she's from Neptune! Haruko said she's from Pluto! And _you're_ dating an admitted Venusian who talks to crocodiles because crocodile is, apparently, the native language on Venus!" Fubuki argued.

"Uh, no, see, Kathy's not an alien, she's a psychic. She talks to animals, and..."

Judai sweat. "Johan..."

Fubuki gaped at him. After a moment, he said, "So, she's friends with aliens, duel monsters, _and_ a psychic!?"

That did it—Johan crashed to the ground, stunned by Fubuki's stupidity.

Fubuki was quiet another moment before saying to Judai, "Right, well, is that your only ability?"

Judai sighed, knowing that telling him any more about Yubel would freak him out worse. "If I say yes, will you leave me alone?"

"Absolutely not! Then I just won't trust you because you're a liar!"

"You already don't trust me, so what would _that_ matter?"

"Just answer the question!"

Johan shot up. "Fubuki!" he cried. "You're a real idiot, you know that!?"

Fubuki looked at Johan and asked, "Beg your pardon?"

"Ah-ha," said another familiar voice. "So this is where you were."

Judai turned, slightly relieved to see the teal-haired teen standing there—Sho's older brother and Fubuki's best friend, Ryo Marufuji.

Fubuki looked at him, startled. "Ryo!"

Ryo looked at Judai and asked, "Is he causing you a hard time, Judai? Sorry about that. He was supposed to stay with me."

"It's fine," Judai told him.

"Ryo!" Fubuki said. "You've got to believe me! He's not human! He can't be destroyed in battle, and he has no attack points!"

Ryo sweat. "Really," he said flatly.

"Yes! He just said so!" He turned back to Judai and demanded, "Right!?"

Judai sweat, thinking that Fubuki would still think he were a duel spirit even if scientists studied him extensively and said he wasn't—not that it was likely that would happen.

"Kaiser, please help," Johan said to Ryo. "I think he's losing it."

"I see. Now that makes sense," Ryo said with a nod.

Fubuki stamped his foot. "I'm telling you! He's a duel monster with no attack points that can't be destroyed in battle!"

"So? What's so bad about that?" Ryo asked, humoring his crazy friend.

"I don't know what other abilities he might have!" Turning back to Judai, he demanded, "What level are you!?"

Ryo sweat again. "Fubuki. I think you need some help."

Judai just stared, definitely not wanting to answer that one.

"Answer me, darn it!" Fubuki demanded, grabbing Judai by the front of his shirt and shaking him.

"Hey!" Johan said, charging the older boy. "Let him go!"

_"__Alright! That's it! Nigh—"_

Judai couldn't let Yubel finish that—then Fubuki would know what that other effect was.

"T-ten!" he stammered, hoping Fubuki would stop if he answered. "Level ten!"

Johan pounced Fubuki, knocking him off of Judai as he said, "I said let go! How dare you attack my friend like that! Get out of here already!"

Ryo put a hand to his face, sweating.

From the ground beneath Johan, Fubuki cried, "Level ten!?"

Johan raised a fist to punch him. "I said—"

"Johan!" Judai interrupted.

Johan stopped an inch away from hitting Fubuki in the face. "What?"

Still sweating, Ryo said, "Fubuki, maybe you should stop before you get yourself hurt."

Judai said, "You...you can get off him, Johan..."

"But, Judai," Johan protested.

"Hitting him isn't going to change his mind about me."

Johan got off the older brunette. "Judai."

"So, are you happy now, pal?" Ryo asked Fubuki. "I think you hurt his feelings."

Fubuki didn't answer, staring at Judai with slight confusion.

"Come on, Johan," Judai said, turning back toward the park. "Let's go."

"Okay. I'm coming."

The two headed into the park, leaving Ryo to deal with Fubuki.

He looked down at his friend on the ground and said, "You know, Fubuki, sometimes I just can't believe you."

Fubuki looked down, feeling a bit guilty.

* * *

As they made their way back to the others, Johan asked, "You okay, pal?"

"Yeah," Judai answered. "I'm fine."

"Aniki!" Sho called, running over with Hayato. "There you are!"

Judai put on a big smile, pushing away the encounter with Fubuki. "Hey, guys!"

"So, are you two done now?" Hayato asked. "'Cause the field test's on Saturday, and we're clearly not ready."

"Yeah, okay," Judai said. "You ready to practice some more?"

"Can I help?" Johan asked. "I could use a good warm-up before my test, too!"

Sho hesitated. "Uh, well..."

"Sure, why not?" Judai said.

Muttering, Hayato added, "Yeah, then we can get our butts kicked twice as hard."

"Alright! Now where were we?" Johan asked.

The four went back to practicing, deciding to break into tag teams. Judai teamed up with Sho while Johan paired with Hayato. This had the desired effect—when they weren't dueling by themselves against someone stronger, the two did better. With Judai and Johan as their tag partners, the two boosted their self-confidence a bit and improved their skills. By the end of the day, Judai was sure the two were ready for their test on Saturday.

Now if only he could get Fubuki to leave him alone. Preferably before his date on Friday.


	10. Sadie Hawkins Dance

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

**WARNING: some strong language.**

* * *

When Friday rolled around, Johan showed up at Judai's house around 6. He was dressed in a light blue and yellow flannel shirt, unbuttoned, with a white shirt underneath and a pair of blue jeans. When Judai opened the door to let him in, however, he noticed that the guy was also wearing a collar and leash, and Johan started panting like a dog.

Judai rolled his eyes but otherwise chose to ignore his insulted friend. Though, once they got to his room, it was his turn to be insulted. Johan insisted on picking out his outfit for him. Johan settled on a pair of black pants, a red button-down shirt, and brown shoes for his friend.

"So, pal. What do you think?" Johan asked, stepping back after Judai had gotten dressed—or, rather, after he had gotten him dressed.

Judai looked himself over in the mirror. "Yeah, this works," he said.

"_Red,"_ Yubel said. _"Why am I not surprised?"_

_Hey, I didn't pick it this time,_ he reminded her.

"_It's still red,"_ she teased.

Judai thought about that for a moment before retorting with, _Shut up._

"So, pal?" Johan said. "Do you want me to wear that leash I brought, or do you think I'll simply follow you?"

"I wish you'd had the leash that day in the woods, honestly! So, I guess that depends. Do you think there's any chance of us getting separated on the way there? And how badly do you want to embarrass yourself?"

"Oh, let's just go!" Johan said, storming out in annoyance.

Judai grinned and followed.

* * *

The girls were waiting outside of the school entrance, anxiously, in Kathleen's case.

"Ooh. What if he really _does_ get lost trying to find the school after dark? I mean, we all know he gets lost a lot in the _daytime!_ But what about at night!? What if—"

"I'm sure they're on their way," Asuka said. "I mean, it's not like they're running late or anything."

"Not yet, they aren't!" Kathleen said. "But—"

Asuka glanced behind her and saw their dates. "Oh, look. There they are."

Kathleen turned around, relieved to see them.

One look at Kathleen, and Johan nearly fainted. She was beautiful in a sleeveless, blue, knee-length dress with a pleated skirt and white slippers. She wore a necklace with a sapphire embedded in silver, and her hair was braided over her left shoulder. A silver butterfly pin with blue wings rested atop her head.

"Hey, guys!" Asuka called as the boys walked over. "Looking good."

"Hey! You, too!" Judai said.

Asuka was dressed in red. Her dress had an off the shoulder neckline and was gathered at the waist before flowing down to her mid-thighs. She had curled her hair for the occasion.

Johan still hadn't quite recovered his voice. "Uh...ah...erm..."

"Huh?" Kathleen asked. "Something wrong, hon?"

"No!" he said at last. "You look great, Kathy!"

Kathleen giggled. "Thanks. You, too!"

"Uh-huh," Asuka said, grinning, as she eyed Judai's red shirt. "Just as I thought."

Apparently she knew he'd be in red.

"Heh..." He rubbed the back of his head, grinning slightly.

"Well, anyway, you guys ready?" Asuka asked. At their nods, she said, "Then let's go."

* * *

The gym was decorated with colorful streamers and balloons. The lights were dim for the dance, and there were a lot of students there. There were also a few surprises awaiting the four of them...

"_Aki!?_" Kathleen exclaimed. "What are _you_ doing here!?"

It was true. Standing there in a tight, black mini dress with a halter top was Akiko. She had a black headband in her hair, and her black, peep-toe pumps had flowers attached to the straps around her ankles.

"It's a dance," she answered. "I go to the school _holding _the dance. What? Can't I go to the dance?"

"But this is a _couples_ dance! And it's _public!_ Sorta."

"So? I've got a boyfriend." She hitched a thumb at Jim, standing behind her in a black shirt, brown pants, and his cowboy hat.

"But I thought you hated public displays of affection! So why are you two here where everyone can see!? Do you want everyone to know you're a _real_ couple!?"

"First off, we _are_ a real couple,"Akiko pointed out. "Second, thanks to Momoe, the whole school already knows this. And, third, we go on dates all the time, Kathy." She put her hands on her hips and continued, "What? You think just because I don't approve of trying to eat each other's faces in public, I don't approve of dating?"

Kathleen gawked at her for a few moments before asking, "Who _are_ you...?"

Well, that was the surprise for Kathleen. Judai and Asuka had a different, less welcome surprise, however...

Momoe, Asuka's friend, had brought a brunette as her date. An older brunette. With brown eyes.

"Nii-san?" Asuka asked, gawking. "Remind me again why you're here with my best friend?"

Asuka may have been unable to take her eyes off this scene, but Judai was doing everything he could to avoid making eye contact with the older Tenjoin.

"She asked me, that's why!" Fubuki answered. "How can I say no to one of your lovely and charming friends, Asuka?"

"Oh, Bucki," Momoe said, snuggling up against him. "You say the sweetest things."

"Yeah," Asuka muttered. "When he's not hurting my boyfriend, that is."

_Okay, suddenly, I don't wanna be here, _Judai thought._ At all. This isn't gonna end well. Not if Fubuki's here._

Fubuki was too busy flirting with Momoe to even acknowledge that Asuka had spoken. She sighed.

"Honestly," she said. "Do you always have to do that? You're making me look bad."

"Sorry, sis!" he said. "But this _is_ a date! Why don't you focus on yours and leave us alone, hmm?"

Asuka sighed again. "I don't know you," she said, walking off.

Judai followed her away, relieved to get away from Fubuki.

"First all the girls his age, now he's targeting my friends," she complained as they walked through the crowd. "His fan club's getting out of control."

"He's got a fan club, huh?" Judai asked.

"Yeah. Almost every girl in town, why?" she said, annoyed.

Judai absorbed that fact for a minute. "Huh," he said at last. "Well, I think you can rest assured that Akiko and Kathleen aren't in it, at least."

"Yeah. They're about the only two, too. He's a real ladies man, after all," Asuka said, rolling her eyes.

"Ah. There you guys are," Johan said, walking over with Kathleen.

"Hey, did you know Aki's here with Jim?" Kathleen asked, still stunned.

"Really?" Judai asked.

"Uh-huh."

"Anyway, we were gonna go dance," Johan said. "You two coming?"

"That depends," Asuka said, looking at Judai.

"Yeah, if you want to," he said.

"Can you dance?" she asked.

"If you're asking if I can waltz, then no. I can't dance. If you're asking if I can do what those guys are doing," he said, pointing to the students on the dance floor, "then yes."

"Then okay. Let's go!"

Judai looked out on the dance floor and spotted Fubuki not far away.

"Yeah! Come on, Kathy!" Johan said, dragging his still-stunned date out onto the dance floor.

"So, Judai, coming?" Asuka asked, moving toward the dance floor—and her brother.

"Uh... Let's go to the other side, okay?" Judai suggested.

"Huh? Why?"

He didn't answer, but his gaze moved back to Fubuki. Asuka followed his gaze, seeing Fubuki out there.

"Oh, don't worry about him," she said. "All his attention is focused on Momoe tonight. He won't bother us. Promise."

After a momentary hesitation, Judai said, "Okay."

The crowd suddenly parted, revealing Manjoume in a dark blue suit and tie dancing with...was that Haruko? She wore a flowing white dress that went down to her knees. The one-shoulder dress was covered in sequins, making it shine in the light. Her hair was half-tied, held back by a white ribbon. White sandals completed her outfit, with straps wrapped around her ankles crossing down to a strap across her toes.

They were really tearing up the dance floor, dancing to a rather upbeat song. Watching this, Akiko got a bit tired of everyone watching her friend and her date like they were some sort of show.

"Is there something amusing about Haru and her date, people?" she asked.

As the song ended, Manjoume lifted Haruko up above his head. He held her there as the rest of the student body started applauding. The two dancers smiled, enjoying the attention.

"Wow," Asuka said, watching them. "It's like they were made for each other, huh?"

Judai nodded. "Yeah..."

"Way to go, you two!" Kathleen cheered. "Encore, encore!"

Akiko whacked the red-head in the back of the head.

"What?" she asked. "They were good!"

Johan laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"Anyway, Judai, you ready?" Asuka asked.

"Yeah."

At that moment, the DJ started up a slow song.

"On second thought...," Asuka said, not sure if he would do well at slow dancing.

Johan pulled Kathleen close and started swaying to the music.

Judai watched the others for a moment before taking Asuka's hand. "Come on," he said, leading her toward the dance floor.

"Judai? You sure?" she asked, a bit nervous.

"I'm sure," he said. "Or do you not want to?"

"You're not gonna step on my toes, are you?"

"I'll try not to," he answered, grinning a bit.

Asuka hesitated another moment before saying, "Okay."

He led her out to the dance floor, put his hands on her waist, and started dancing. She rested her hands on his shoulders.

"Wow, Judai," she said after a moment. "You're surprisingly good at this. Who taught you how to dance? Was it Yubel?"

"_Don't look at me,"_ she said as if Asuka could hear her. _"I'm just as surprised as you, hon."_

"Heh," Judai laughed. "No, Yubel never went that far."

"Then who—"

He shrugged. "I guess it just comes natural."

"Heh," Asuka laughed a bit, smiling.

A few yards away, Kathleen flirted, "Oh, Johan-chan, you're such a good dancer."

"Well, I can't take all the credit," he admitted. "My mom made sure I knew how to dance. You're pretty good yourself, Kathy."

"Thanks," she said, blushing.

Johan blushed, too. "Kathleen..."

The two stopped dancing and leaned in for a kiss. Manjoume glanced over at the two.

"Hey, look, Haru," he said. "Johan and Kathleen are in love."

"I knew that already," she said without looking.

"Well, now the whole school's gonna know, too. Not just our class, either, see?"

He pointed at the couple. Or, rather, past them at the upperclassmen who were watching them. Kathleen wrapped her arms around Johan's neck, deepening the kiss, and he pulled her closer, lifting her slightly off the ground.

Haruko took one look at the scene and said, "Okay, that does it! I'm taking a picture!"

She pulled a camera out. Where she had been keeping it, nobody could tell you. It just sort of appeared in her hand.

At the moment that Haruko snapped a picture of the happy couple, another couple was following their lead. Asuka got up on her toes and kissed Judai, who wrapped his arms around her in response.

"Now _that_ on the other hand...," Manjoume said, staring.

Haruko stopped and stared at them as well, still holding her camera.

"Aw! How cute!" Momoe said, watching Judai and Asuka. "Look, Bucki!"

She pointed at the couple. Fubuki gaped, not sure how he felt about this. On the one hand, his sister was in love. On the other, her date wasn't human.

"She's...she's..."

"In love!" Momoe finished happily.

"...Kissing a monster..."

"What!?" Momoe exclaimed, suddenly concerned.

Fubuki leaned in and whispered in her ear, frantically, "He's a duel monster. Asuka admitted that much to me, and he told me he has zero attack points, can't be destroyed in battle, and is a level 10. There's got to be more to his effect that that if he's a level ten with no attack, right!?"

Momoe gasped. "Asuka!" she cried. "Stop!"

The kiss broke up. So did Johan's and Kathleen's.

"Huh?" Asuka asked, pulling back and turning to her friend.

Judai looked as well, a sense of dread overcoming him.

"It's okay. Bucki's here! He'll protect you, right!?" Momoe said. To Fubuki, she whispered, "Ever heard of the alluring powers of some monsters to lure their targets into battle? Well, I think that's his true power! Since he can't fight for himself, he just makes others fight for him by hypnotizing them! That's gotta be it, right!?"

Fubuki's eyes widened. "What!?" He turned to glare at Judai, saying, "Release my sister from your spell this instant, you fiend!"

"What!?" Judai asked, stunned at the accusation.

"Nii-san!" Asuka pleaded. "Not here! Please don't do that here!"

"Asuka! Snap out of it!" Momoe said. "We're your friends! No need to attack us!"

"What are you talking about!?" she demanded.

Everyone stopped and stared, not sure what was going on.

Fubuki went on mercilessly. "He's got you under some sort of a spell, doesn't he!? I'm warning you, if you don't release my sister _right now,_ things are gonna get ugly!"

"I'm not doing anything to her!"

"Stop lying, you monster!"

"I'm not!"

Fubuki pounced on Judai, his hands wrapping around the younger boy's throat.

"Hey! Leave him alone already!" Johan said, charging Fubuki.

Judai was pinned to the floor underneath Fubuki, who was strangling him.

"Let her go!" Fubuki demanded.

As Judai struggled for breath, he clawed at Fubuki's hands, trying to pry them off.

"Akiko!" Kathleen worried. "Do something! I'm so not the violent type!"

Akiko pushed her way through the crowd, making her way to the scene.

"Fubuki! Let him g—" Asuka started, moving forward, but she was stopped by Momoe and Junko when they grabbed her arms, holding her back.

"It's just as we thought!" Junko said. "You were right after all, Momoe!"

"Don't worry, Asuka!" Momoe said. "We'll save you!"

"I don't need saving!" Asuka protested. "Let me go!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Akiko exclaimed, shoving Fubuki off of Judai. "Get away from him! And, you two, let her go!" She glared at Momoe and Junko. "Are you _really_ that stupid!? Paws off, bitches!"

_Crikey,_ Jim thought. _She's even got _me_ scared for once._

"N-never!" Junko said, holding tighter to her friend. "You're clearly under the s-spell, too! We'll n-never let you have her, you monster!" The last was directed at Judai.

"Stop it!" Asuka demanded. "Judai's not a monster, so quit calling him one!"

Fubuki scrambled out of Akiko's reach, getting to his feet as he said, "L-look, I don't care what that thing does, just so long as it leaves my sister alone!"

Akiko's fists were trembling as she fought back the urge to kill Fubuki right then and there. Judai sat up, rubbing his throat. The other students started talking.

Their words weren't reassuring.

"He _is _a bit different all of a sudden," one boy said.

Then the rumors started, and the majority of the assembly backed away, looking nervous.

"What if Fubuki's right?" a girl asked. "Those friends of Asuka's are facing the full force of Akiko's rage like it's nothing! It's almost like their lives mean nothing compared to the life of a friend!"

The more they talked, the more they scared themselves. Judai looked around, listening to the rumors fly—he came out of nowhere one day, what if he _was_ a duel monster in disguise; he changed after he got into Duel Academy, maybe his disguise was wearing off; he seemed normal before, maybe this Judai was a fake.

Judai lowered his head. "...Fine, Fubuki. You win..."

"Judai!" Asuka cried.

He got to his feet, his head still low. "I can tell when I'm not wanted," he said before running out.

"Hey, come on, pal!" Johan called after him. When he didn't get a response, he turned back to the other students, glaring.

Akiko's fists were trembling even more now. "Everyone...," she said, her voice a deadly whisper. "Everyone in this room...besides those with brains..." She glared at Fubuki, Momoe, and Junko. "You three... You're lower than... You aren't deserving of... ARG!" She gave up, frustrated—she was too mad to even form a sentence.

"What Aki's trying to say is that you three will burn for this," Haruko fumed, glaring. "Be it in Hell or the flames of _our_ rage!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Manjoume said. "I mean, I've seen some real ** before, but _you_ all take the cake! How could you treat him like that!? Have you all no hearts!?"

"Momoe and Junko are just gullible," Jim said, stepping forward. "Most of the rest are, too." Glaring at Fubuki, he added, "But _this_ mangy dingo I have to wonder about."

Fubuki defended, "Hey, I was just—"

"Just proving my earlier point right!" Johan cut him off. "He wasn't even doing anything, and you _still_ attacked him! He just wants to be treated like everyone else! Now tell me, you _monster!?_ Is that too much to ask!?"

"You tell him!" Kathleen said. "Whether he believes it or not, that's still no way to treat someone! He just wanted to have some fun, now he may never go to a party, or on a date _period,_ ever again! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't start avoiding everyone and keeping to himself 'cause of you all! You're all a bunch of bastards and bitches!"

Akiko gestured to Kathleen and said, "See, now you've even got Kathleen Summers in a hissy. That _never_ happens, so you can all expect nasty little surprises in your lockers or desks from me! Unless some of you wanna get it over with now..." She gave a deadly glare, casting it around the crowd.

Some of the braver students stepped forward, as did the cowards who didn't want her to catch them off-guard.

Akiko stood there staring at them for a moment before saying, "Great, give me your names so I know who to get first when I think of a suitable response to _this._"

The unthinkable had happened—not only had they gotten Kathleen, who washed her mouth out with soap for calling someone an idiot, to swear, but they had make mild little Haruko angry _and_ kept Akiko from knowing how to punish them.

* * *

Judai, meanwhile, had run until he could run no more. He stopped to catch his breath, leaning against the wall of a nearby building.

"_Ooh, I'm gonna kill them!" _Yubel fumed. _"Every last one of 'em! Just who do they think they are!? __The whole palace staff!? Darkness in disguise!? Those bastards who carelessly throw out their unwanted cards!? They'll pay for that! Mark my words! They'll all pay for this!?"_

Judai gripped his bruised throat.

"_You gonna be okay, kid?" _Yubel asked.

He nodded, his head still low.

"_So, now what? It's only a matter of time before those brats spread the word about you. Soon this whole town could become your enemies, and then they'll all try to get rid of you. That's what happened to me, after all."_

"...Guess I'm outta here...," he said quietly.

"_So, does that mean you're gonna join the others?"_

By the others, Yubel meant the duel spirits living out in the woods.

"...I don't know..."

"_Hey. It'll be okay,"_ she assured him. _"I've been through this before. The pain will fade away in time. Once you find your place among those of your own kind, that is."_

Judai stood there a moment, thinking about that. Finally he said, "'Those of my own kind...?' Newsflash, Yubel, there aren't a lot of human/duel spirit fusions out there. Ugh... Why did Kathleen have to make me show off in front of _him?_ Why did I have to open my big mouth around him?"

"_Because she's an idiot," _Yubel said in reference to Kathleen.

"Same can be said for me, I guess...," Judai said.

"_Oh, come now. That's not true."_

"I opened my mouth in front of Fubuki and said that I wasn't human, had fused with you, and had new powers...and I'm not an idiot?"

"_Uh, well..."_

He stood there a moment, thinking. "You think I could get away from this if I moved to another town?" he asked at last. "One that didn't know me?"

"_Bii bii bii bii!"_ came a very fast voice.

Judai looked up. Ruby sat in front of him, along with Taro and the Ojama Trio.

"_Bii bii!"_ Ruby said, looking happy to have found Judai.

He just stared at the five spirits.

"_Thank goodness we found you, Judai, sir!"_ Ojama Yellow said. _"Aniki has a message for you!"_

"_He wants you to know that everything's under control, and Akiko's handling it," _Green added.

"_Yeah,"_ Black confirmed. _"So you can come back and rejoin them now. Everything's gonna be okay."_

Taro barked in agreement. Ruby agreed as well.

"...I don't want to go back there...," Judai said.

"_What!? But why!?"_ Ojama Yellow asked. _"All your friends are there!"_

Judai fingered the bruises on his neck. "Yeah. And _him_..."

"_Who? You mean the guy Aniki's gonna beat the tar out of any minute now?"_ Black asked.

Taro growled. Judai just stood there, staring at them.

"_What? Not good enough? I think Akiko and Johan were planning on helping,"_ Green said.

"_Bii...,"_ Ruby agreed sadly.

Taro barked, also agreeing.

Certain he'd regret it, Judai said, "Okay... I'll go back..."

The five spirits led him back to the school, making sure he didn't change his mind along the way.

* * *

Johan, meanwhile, had beaten the others to the punch—literally. Fubuki had finally made him angry enough that the older boy was lying there, unconscious, with a bloody nose, two black eyes, and a slew of other bruises.

Akiko humphed, her arms crossed, and said, "Well, he's got more than that coming when he heals."

Asuka just stared, stunned. She couldn't believe what she had just seen. Johan took some deep breaths.

"So, who else wants some!?" he demanded, glaring daggers at Momoe.

Momoe backed up, terrified.

Kathleen stared. "...Johan..."

"Johan, I think you need to calm down," Akiko said. "If we _do_ get Judai to come back, you just might scare him off again."

"If he doesn't, I'm not hanging out with either of you two ever again," Asuka said to Momoe and Junko. "_Ever._"

Junko stared at the floor, properly chastised.

"But—" Momoe started.

"That's it!" Johan yelled, pouncing on top of her.

"Hey! You're so not supposed to hit girls, dear!" Kathleen said.

Jim pulled Johan off of Momoe before he could do any damage. "Johan, why don't we try explaining things to her?" he said as though he was speaking to a dangerous lunatic. "Nobody's tried that with her yet. Let's try that first, alright?"

Johan growled, but after a moment, he said, "Fine..."

That's when Judai reappeared in the doorway. Everyone turned.

"...Judai," Asuka said.

Those who weren't his friends stared, not sure if they should be nervous of him or feel sorry for him. He just stood there, staring at the floor. It looked as if one wrong word or move could make him bolt again.

Asuka walked over and pulled him into a hug, stroking his back quietly. He wrapped his arms around her, fighting back tears.

Instantly the other party-goers started feeling guilty, including Momoe and Junko. They looked away, some lowering their heads in shame.

It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. That's why everyone heard it when Judai quietly said, "I wanna go home..."

Asuka nodded, and the two of them left the gym.

Johan turned back to the other students. "See that, you creeps!? That's all your fault! You should all be ashamed of yourselves!"

"You're all sub-human!" Akiko snapped. "That's all there is to it! Anyone here who thinks duel spirits are bad? They're better than _you!_"

Nobody said a word, still looking away guiltily.

"Yeah," Johan said. "That's what I thought. Come on, Kathy! We're leaving!"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room, heading off to catch up with their friends.

"Jim?" Akiko said.

He nodded, and the two of them left the dance, too.

Haruko turned her nose up at those remaining. "I can't even stand to look at you people!"

Manjoume handed her a blindfold, which he pulled out of nowhere. "In that case, put that on and I'll get you far, far away from here."

Haruko sweat a bit. "No. No, let's just get out of here, Jun. A strip club would have better company."

"Yeah, or a motorcycle gang," he agreed. "Let's go."

The two of them walked out.

"What?" Momoe asked. "Were we really that wrong?"

Fubuki came to then, asking, "Oh, what hit me...?"

"Johan," Junko answered. "And, boy, was he mad at you. I don't think Judai's as bad as you say, even if he _is_ a monster."

"Huh?" Fubuki asked, sitting up. "What makes you say that?"

* * *

"So, are you going to be okay?" Asuka asked Judai as they walked down the street.

"Yeah. I'll be okay," he said, putting a hand on his neck.

"And what about mentally. That was pretty brutal back there. Are you ever gonna be able to get over it?"

"...I'll be fine."

"Is that the truth, Judai?" she asked, not believing him.

"...I don't know... Can you stop interrogating me? It hurts to talk..."

"Let me see."

He moved his hand and showed her. The bruises on his neck were pretty nasty, and there was some serious swelling. It looked like, if Fubuki had been any rougher, he could have done some serious damage.

Asuka stared, not saying a word. Honestly, she was worried that her brother _had_ done some real damage.

"That bad, huh?" Judai asked.

"We should get you checked out," she said in lieu of an answer. "Come on."

She headed for the hospital, with Judai following behind.

_Oh, boy... My parents are gonna flip..._

"_So, thought up a good excuse for this yet?" _Yubel asked. _"'Cause, obviously, the truth's out of the question. Then they'd ask you what the guy was talking about and...well, you know."_

He thought about that for a moment. Would his parents really treat him the way Fubuki and those other students had?

_No,_ he answered her.

"_Better start doing that, then."_

He walked on in silence, following Asuka and trying to think of a good excuse for the bruises on his neck. He wasn't sure if his parents would react the same way, but he didn't really want to take the chance.


	11. Picnic in the Park

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

After an hour of waiting in the hospital, Judai was called back to see the doctor. Asuka stayed in the waiting room, where Johan and Kathleen joined her soon after Judai had left. Kathleen was carrying a picnic basket, which explained why it had taken them so long to join Asuka and Judai. Kathleen had gone to pack for a picnic.

In a hospital room, Judai waited a few more minutes for the doctor to come and see him. When he finally arrived, Judai could see the question in his eyes. Fortunately, he didn't ask. He just looked him over.

"It's not too bad," the doctor said. "Just take it easy for awhile, and you should be fine."

The nurse treated and bandaged it, much to Judai's relief—bandages would give him some way to hide the bruises. After that, he was sent on his way.

When Judai came out, Asuka stood up, concerned.

"So what did the doctors say?" she asked.

"It's not too bad," he answered.

"Well, that's good to hear, at least," Kathleen said, relieved.

"Yeah, I mean, this whole night's been kinda crazy, so it's good to have some good news," Johan agreed.

"So, when did you two get here?" Judai asked.

"A half an hour ago, about the time you went in to see the doctor, according to Asuka here," Kathleen answered.

Johan nodded. "That's right. We figured you guys would be here, so we decided to stop by and check on you. So, you gonna be okay, pal?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"Good to hear. We were worried about you for a bit. We thought you were leaving town or something."

Judai looked away, not speaking.

Not liking that silence, Asuka said, "Judai, Kathleen and I were just talking, and we were wondering if you wanted to try to salvage this evening."

"See, Johan and I were gonna go have a picnic in the park under the stars, and we were wondering if you wanted to come along."

Judai was quiet a moment before, looking a little happier, he said, "Okay, sure."

"Judai, I am so sorry," Asuka said. "But don't worry. I've decided to cut all ties to my older brother and move in with Akiko for awhile. That way, he's sure to leave me alone and let me be with you. As for the rest, I'm pretty sure the others got through to them, so don't worry about that, either."

"She's right, pal, cheer up," Johan said. "It's going to be okay."

"...Okay."

_"__Judai,"_ Yubel said, _"be honest. Do you really believe them, or do you think that creep's right? 'Cause, just so you know, he's not. I'm a monster! See the wings, claws, and fangs? You don't have any, so you're not one, okay?"_

_But _you've_ got them, and you're part of me now, remember?_

_"__So? _I'm_ just a monster spirit that you're possessed by! That doesn't make _you_ the monster! In fact, all that does is make _me_ look worse! Now stop feeling sorry for yourself and enjoy the rest of your evening!"_

_Okay._

"Hey, pal," Johan called, standing by the door. "You coming?"

"Yeah, I'm coming!" he called, running over.

* * *

The four headed to the park. Kathleen laid out a red and white checkered picnic blanket next to the lake, under the cover of a tree. Then she laid out the food. Pudding and Jell-O, which she claimed was for dessert when Johan asked. She had also brought mashed potatoes and apple sauce. Heck, most of the food she had brought didn't need chewed. When Johan asked her about _that,_ she shrugged.

"Okay, so I figured they'd be easier to swallow, sue me," she said.

"Yeah, but will that really help?" Johan asked.

Judai ignored this and started helping himself to some food.

"Wow," Asuka said, glancing around at the park. "I never knew this place was so peaceful at night. Look. The stars and the moon are shining in the lake over there."

Sure enough, the lake was peaceful, with a crescent moon and the stars reflecting off the water.

"It is a pretty sight," Kathleen agreed.

"Yeah," Johan said. "This is way better than those dumb, flashy lights and that loud, obnoxious music."

Judai, not wanting to think about the dance they had just left, asked, "Can we not talk about that?"

"Yeah," Kathleen said. "Let's talk about the night sky instead. It's so beautiful. Almost makes you want to snuggle up against someone you love and take a little nap..."

She nuzzled against Johan as she spoke. Johan blushed.

"Well, it's making me want to go for a walk," Asuka said. Turning to Judai, she asked, "How 'bout it? You wanna?"

"Sure," Judai said, standing up.

* * *

The two walked through the moonlit park, listening to the crickets and the owls. As they walked along, a canopy of trees overhead, Asuka took Judai's hand and leaned on his side, blushing. Yubel watched with anticipation, waiting for Judai to protest. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Asuka's shoulders, which made Yubel burst out laughing.

_What's so funny?_ he asked her, irritated.

_"__So, get it _now,_ do we!?" _she asked, laughing, as she thought of how he had acted when she did that with him a few months back.

He blushed. _Oh, shut up._

* * *

When the two returned from their walk, they saw Johan and Kathleen dancing. The lack of music didn't seem to bother the lovebirds—they just swayed to the sounds of the night.

"Wow," Asuka said, watching. "Look at that, Judai. They're sure happy together."

"Yeah, no arguing there," Judai said.

Kathleen and Johan stopped, looked at each other, and kissed. Asuka sighed, watching them.

The kiss got deeper as Kathleen wrapped her arms around Johan's neck, pulling him closer at the same time that he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"How nice," Asuka sighed, blushing. She rubbed against Judai, who blushed in response.

Johan and Kathleen broke apart and glanced over at the other couple, then blushed, embarrassed at having an audience.

"So, you two having fun?" Asuka teased, walking over.

Johan and Kathleen blushed deeper.

Johan said, "Uh..."

"You didn't see that," Kathleen said, sweating.

Asuka laughed. "But I thought you two loved public displays of affection?"

"Yeah, but not when we're being stared at!" Johan said.

Asuka just laughed again.

Eager to change the subject, Kathleen asked, "So, how was your walk?"

It was Asuka's turn to blush now. "Uh, well..." She looked at Judai, sweating.

"It was okay," Judai said with a shrug. After all, it wasn't like anything had happened during it.

"Y-yeah..."

"Aw, Asuka," Kathleen teased. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or, rather, your heart?" She giggled.

"Sh-shut up!" Asuka said, blushing deeper.

Kathleen giggled some more.

Johan grinned at Judai and said, "Well, that's one embarrassed girl you've got on your hands, pal."

"Zip it!" Asuka demanded.

Judai pulled her into his arms, saying, "Aw, come on, guys. Leave her alone."

"Hey, she was teasing us a minute ago," Johan said, grinning. "So it's only fair we tease back, right?"

Asuka just stood there in Judai's arms, blushing.

"Well, ya gotta admit, you were kinda asking for it," Judai pointed out, grinning. "I mean, this is a double date, and you two started making out in the middle of it."

"Hey, you could have, too, you know," Johan said, pointing at Judai and blushing.

Kathleen sweat, blushing.

"Yeah, I know," Judai said. His tone sounded...off, though. As if the idea of kissing Asuka hadn't even occurred to him.

"Huh?" Asuka asked, having only half heard these people.

Judai laughed a bit—she was stiff and red, which he found all too cute. "Earth to Asuka. You there?"

"Wha?" she asked in a tiny voice. "Say something?"

"Aw, come on, Asuka," Judai said. "It's just Johan and Kathleen! No reason to be so nervous."

Asuka blinked. "Nervous? Who said I was nervous? It's just, uh..."

Kathleen and Johan laughed.

"We win," Kathleen said, grinning.

"Ah, sweet revenge," Johan said.

"Oh, shut up!" Asuka said.

The other couple laughed again.

"Anyway, we should be getting home before my folks start thinking I got lost again," Johan said with a grin.

Judai let go of Asuka, realizing that this meant their date was over.

"Or Aki starts thinking we did it again," Kathleen said. "Man! I have _got_ to get her out of my house!" She looked at Asuka and asked, "Coming, Asuka?"

"Just a sec, Kathleen! I'll be right there!" She turned to Judai and said, "Judai. Sorry about that. I didn't know he would do that. I'd hoped he'd worry more about his date like he usually does." She looked down.

"It's okay, Asuka," Judai said, smiling. "It's not like it's your fault your brother's crazy."

Not comforted by that at all, Asuka said, "Judai..."

Judai pulled her into his arms again, saying, "It's okay. I'm fine, really."

"If you say so. Well, good night, then."

She pulled away and started walking off, hoping Judai would stop her for a kiss.

"Night," he said, letting her go instead.

"Wow," Kathleen said quietly. "Can you believe that? Think he'll ever get over it, hon?"

"I don't know," Johan said. "I hope so."

Asuka didn't say a word—she doubted that he would be getting over the trauma caused by her brother any time soon. She didn't know the full extent of the damage he'd caused yet, but she hoped it wouldn't be too bad. The three of them left the park, Kathleen planning on walking Johan home so he wouldn't get lost.

_"__Judai? You sure you're okay? I mean, you just—"_ Yubel started, but she cut herself off.

"I'm sure. I'll be fine."

Winged Kuriboh didn't believe him. It looked at him sadly. _"Kurii..."_

Judai ignored the upset Kuriboh and just headed home.

* * *

When Judai walked through the door, his parents ambushed him.

"So, how did it go—" his mother started. She cut herself off when she saw the bandages around his neck. "Judai, what happened?"

"Uh, I don't really wanna talk about it," he said—he still hadn't come up with a good excuse.

"But, son—" his dad started.

"Dad, I just said I don't want to talk about it right now," Judai cut him off. "Please don't make me."

His parents were quiet a moment, just staring at him. Finally, his dad said, "Alright, Judai. But, remember, we're here for you if you need us."

"Thanks, Dad," he said, running off to his room.

* * *

As Judai shut the door, he sighed.

"What am I gonna tell them?" he whispered. "I can't risk telling them the truth... What if they react the same way the kids at school did?"


	12. Maybe You're not Dangerous

**A/N: A new chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

The next day, Judai pulled a black turtleneck shirt on to hide the bandages. He had plans to meet up with some friends who didn't know about the events of last night, and he didn't want to worry them. Especially considering that one was Sho.

When he headed to breakfast, while neither of his parents openly asked what had happened, he could see the question in his mother's eyes. She kept glancing at him, as if she were waiting for him to suddenly explain what had happened the night before. Unable to take it anymore, he finally settled on an excuse that was half true.

"Okay, fine, you wanna know what happened last night?" he asked.

"Oh, no, it's fine, honey, if you don't want to talk about it," his mom said, though he could hear her eagerness in her tone.

"Well, I got into a fight with another one of the guys at the dance."

"A fight?" his mother asked.

"Yeah. I know, I shouldn't have done that. But he came out of it worse than me."

Again, half true—Johan had made sure Fubuki paid for hurting his friend.

His father shook his head. "But what were you fighting about, son?"

Judai stood up, pretending he hadn't heard the question, and said, "I've gotta go. Today's Sho's and Hayato's field test, and I wanna make sure they both actually go."

With that, he ran out the door, his parents calling for him to come back.

When he was gone, his mom turned to her husband and said, "Didn't he say that test was this afternoon? Why is he leaving so early?"

"There's something that boy's not telling us," his dad said.

"So what do we do?"

"I suppose all we can do is wait for him to tell us on his own," Dad said, shaking his head.

* * *

It was a good thing Judai had decided to head over there that afternoon—Hayato was having trouble getting Sho to come out from under his bed.

"I can't," Sho said when told to come out and go take the test. "It's not going to work out, anyway. I'm no good at dueling."

"Aw, come on, Sho," Judai said. "How do you know if you don't even try?"

"Remember this guy?" Hayato asked, holding up _The Little Engine That Could._ "He said he couldn't do it, too, then he tried it, still unsure, and saved the day! You can do that, too. Come on. I'm going!"

"Yeah, well..."

"Come on, Sho! I know you can do it," Judai encouraged.

Sho sighed. "I guess I could," he said, crawling out from under the bed. "I mean, I said I wanted to, so..."

"Alright!" Hayato said. "Way to go, pal! So, we ready?"

"I guess..."

Judai smiled. "Good luck, guys! I'm sure you'll get in!"

"If you say so...," Sho said uncertainly.

"Yeah... Well, let's go, then!" Hayato said. "Later, Judai, and thanks!"

He ran out, followed by a still reluctant Sho.

_"__Sheesh,"_ Yubel said. _"That boy. He's younger than you are mentally."_

"I resent that," Judai said.

_"__What? Aren't you a five-year-old? I peg him as at least three, by the way."_

"Ha, ha, funny," Judai said, heading out of Sho's room.

* * *

At the mall, Johan, who had taken his practical exam that morning, along with Kathleen, was trying very hard to talk sense into Akiko...involving Kathleen.

"Aki, for the umpteenth time, Kathy doesn't need a babysitter! She's had some coffee since then, and nothing's happened!"

"Johan!" Kathleen exclaimed—he wasn't supposed to tell Akiko that Kathy had gotten her hands on coffee again.

"What!?" Akiko demanded. "You've let her have caffeine!? When did this happen!?"

"Now, Aki, calm down," Kathleen said, sweating nervously. "It wasn't that bad."

"YOU SAID I LOOK GOOD EATING LUNCH!" Akiko bellowed, referring to the last caffeinated Kathy incident. "To this day, I'm _still_ trying to figure out what the hell you meant by that!"

"I said what now?"

"Yeah! And then you started making out with Johan, and I'm pretty sure you should've gotten a room for what you seemed to want to do!"

Johan sweat, thinking about it. "Uh, yeah... But that's all in the past! I mean, look at her! She's fine now! That was just her first time, that's all!"

"She can't handle caffeine!" Akiko insisted. "She can have coffee, as long as it's decaf! I just don't want a crazy, drugged red-head running around town with no idea what she's doing!"

"But, Aki, I've already _had_ a cup!"

After a moment of silence, Akiko asked, "When?"

"The morning before our feud!" Kathleen answered. "I said I'd been up all night making that thing, so naturally I had a cup right before we went out! And it was black, too!"

Akiko was silent for a moment before, reluctantly, she said, "Fine."

"So, does that mean you'll stop bugging her all the time and move back home?" Johan asked hopefully.

"Sure," she answered. "After all, Asuka's staying with me, anyway, so I probably should."

"Yes!" Kathleen exclaimed. "Finally! I get my room back!"

"So, if that's true, you should probably go get Asuka and pack up your things," Johan told Akiko.

"Yeah, yeah," she said, walking off.

"Hey, wait for me!" Kathleen called, running after her. "It's my house!"

* * *

Back at home, Judai was in his room when his mother came knocking.

"Judai?" she asked, opening the door. "There's a man named Fubuki here to see you."

"Uh... I'm not here."

"He says it's really important and can't wait. Are you sure?"

"One hundred percent."

"Well, okay, then." She shut the door and headed off to tell Fubuki that Judai wasn't available.

_"__Now why'd you have to go and do that?"_ Yubel asked. _"I've been waiting for that son of a—"_

"I don't want to see him, that's why!" he cut her off.

A nervous voice at his window ruined his hopes that the guy would give up. "Uh, Judai? You there?"

Judai jumped, turning to the window. He just _had_ to have a bedroom on the first floor, didn't he? There, in the window, was the last person Judai wanted to see—Fubuki Tenjoin. He was wearing sunglasses, and there was a bandage on his nose.

Yubel appeared beside Judai, looking ready to attack. _"Well, well..."_

"Hi, what's up?" Fubuki asked, raising a hand in greeting.

_"__Ooh! That guy! I'm gonna—"_

"What do you want?" Judai asked, backing away from the window.

"Uh, listen, about last night..." Fubuki looked down, then took a deep breath and finished, "I'm sorry..."

_"__Nightmar—Wait, what?" _Yubel blinked, stunned, as she cut herself off right before she attacked him.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, okay? You see, I—" He cut himself off, not sure how to explain himself.

Judai took a shot at finishing for him. "You thought I was gonna hurt your sister, or that I was controlling her? Both of which are not only way off but insulting?"

"Well...Momoe thought up the second part when I told her, so..."

_"__Okay, that's it!"_ Yubel exclaimed—any second now, she was gonna hit that guy up with some Nightmare Pain.

_Yubel...,_ Judai warned silently.

"Look, the point is, I was wrong," Fubuki said. "You may be a wild duel monster, but, unlike the others, you're not dangerous, I think. At least, I _hope_ you're not, anyway! Are you!?"

It seemed that the jerk was rethinking the words he had just said. Well, it wasn't like Judai expected him to really think that he wasn't dangerous. That was a hopeless cause, one he had given up on last night.

"No," he said anyway. "I'm not dangerous. And you shouldn't be so quick to judge. Not all duel spirits are dangerous."

"Really?"

_"__And now you see why my empire exists," _Yubel told Judai, her arms crossed. _"He's a prime example."_

"Yeah," Judai told Fubuki. "Just like not all humans are heartless, like I was taught."

_"__Yeah, yeah, shut it."_

"But throughout all of history, there are countless stories of wild monster attacks and deaths! I've never even heard of a wild one with a heart!"

"Of course you wouldn't. But history varies depending on your perspective. The history _I_ grew up learning said that humans were all evil and would betray their own kind to save their own skins. That parents would abandon their kids and everyone only cares for themselves. That's the way the duel spirits see it."

"What!? But that's ridiculous! Why would I be trying so hard to protect my little sister if any of that were true!? That's crazy talk right there."

"That's how duel spirits see it," Judai said with a shrug. "And, what with the way you've been treating me just because I'm _half_ duel spirit, I'm not surprised they feel that way. You think duel spirits are dangerous, so you treat them as such. That leads them to think you're evil, which makes them act defensively when they see you, reinforcing your idea that they're dangerous. It's a never-ending cycle. I'm not sure where it started, but it's led to a huge misunderstanding."

"Really?" Fubuki asked, genuinely surprised. "Wow. That's incredible. So, is there any way to end it?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"Well, I guess because you're kinda like a bridge between the two worlds. You've seen the world through the eyes of man and beast and can relate to and understand the feelings of both. In fact, if there's anyone out there that can mend the fences, it would have to be you, the dude who's part both. After all, who better than someone like that?"

Judai was quiet, thinking about this. It had never occurred to him that he could do anything. But, thinking about it, he had suffered cruelties at the hands of Yubel and her followers _and_ at the hands of Fubuki. On the other hand, he had seen the good in both the duel spirits he had lived with most of his life and the humans he was living with now. Maybe there was something he could do to change things.

Yubel was also quiet a moment before saying, _"Wow. Never thought of that. Now I'm honored."_

"Well, anyway, Judai," Fubuki said. "I'm sorry for acting like that. Bygones?"

"...Yeah. Bygones."

"Good. Then the next time you see my sister, please tell her that her idiot brother's fine with her dating you, okay? But don't get the wrong idea. I still don't trust you. One wrong move, and you're dead, understand?"

With that established, Fubuki walked off, not even waiting for an answer.

_"__Did you really just forgive him like that?"_ Yubel asked. _"You know it's thanks to him that the whole school probably thinks you're a monster now, right?"_

Judai lowered his head. "...I know..."

_"__And you wonder why the ladies love you. You're too nice, kid."_

Judai didn't answer—he was too busy thinking of how he was going to tell his parents that he wasn't going back to that dumb school of his. After all, if Yubel was right and the entire student body thought he was a monster, it would be best if he didn't go back there. Who knew what they would do?


	13. The Darkness of Humanity

**A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

_Lost again,_ Johan thought as he wandered around in search of his street. _How _do_ I manage it?_

"I'm telling you, she vanished into thin air!" he heard Akiko exclaim, completely panicked.

He looked and saw her, right outside of Jim's house—well, now he knew where he was. He ran over, asking, "What's going on here!?"

Akiko turned to him, wide-eyed—he'd never seen her so panicked. "Johan!"

"Hey, guys, what's wrong?" he asked. "You look like you've seen a ghost or something!"

Jim shifted. "Well..."

"The red-head's gone! Vanished! All I've got is this!" she said, holding up a Shiba Warrior Taro card.

"What!?"

Taro whimpered.

"Taro... What happened to her!?"

"We were just walking, heading home," Akiko said. "She saw a little lost kid and went to help him, then she never came back! When I went looking for her, all I found was Taro!"

"What!?" Johan exclaimed.

Jim put a hand to his chin thoughtfully. "I'd say she just went home, but she wouldn't leave Taro behind."

Again, Taro whimpered.

"What's going on here!?" Johan demanded.

"I don't know!" Akiko panicked.

"Split up and search! She can't be too far away!" Johan decided.

Akiko nodded, "Right."

Jim nodded, and the three ran off in separate directions, hoping to find Kathleen.

* * *

Judai, meanwhile, had been called to Yubel's castle for an emergency by the monster they had put in charge—Celestia, Lightsworn Angel.

As he ran through the woods, Yubel said, _"Hurry up! Queen Celestia said it was urgent! We have to hurry!"_

"Hey, I'm going as fast as I can!" he told her. "Calm down!"

The closer he got to the castle, the more empty the forest felt. He didn't hear or see any signs of life, not even a bug.

_"__Is it just me, or is this place completely empty? Where are all the animals?"_

Judai stopped running, looking around. "I've got a really bad feeling about this..."

Asuka ran by just then, calling, "Kathleen! This isn't funny! Where are you!?"

"Asuka!?" Judai called.

She stopped, looking over at him. "Judai!? What are you doing out here!?"

"That's my line," he answered. "What's going on?"

"It's Kathleen! Akiko says she vanished into thin air!"

"What!?" Judai asked, eyes wide.

_"__Don't tell me..."_

"It's true! Akiko and Kathleen were heading back to her place so Akiko and I could pack, and apparently Kathleen wandered off at the cry of a lost child and never returned! All Akiko found was her Shiba Warrior Taro card!"

"Aw, man!" he exclaimed. "Hate to break it to you, but I think you're wasting your time looking for her. She's not...in this world anymore."

"W-what!? What's going on here, Judai!?" she asked.

"Something called Darkness is taking people to its world. It tried to get me and Johan earlier. That's what all of these disappearances are about. Everyone's being sucked into Darkness's world."

Asuka gasped. "Are you serious!? Tell me you're lying."

"I wish I was."

Asuka was quiet a moment, thinking about this. "So what do we do?"

Judai looked away. "...I don't exactly know. But I _do_ know that I've apparently got the power to stop Darkness."

"Really?" Asuka asked.

The sound of giggling came out of the woods. "Silly boy," a little girl's voice said. "You can't stop darkness. Darkness is a part of life. Humans _need_ darkness to survive."

Judai and Asuka turned as a small girl stepped out from behind a tree, laughing eerily. Her black hair hung loose around her shoulders, mostly hiding a jagged scar on her forehead. She had a black eye, and the other eye was glazed over, as if it were blind. There were several other bruises on her face, poorly concealed through the use of makeup.

Judai stepped in front of Asuka protectively, getting a bad feeling from the creepy little girl.

The girl giggled. "Silly. Don't you get it? Take a closer look at me. See the bruises and scars?" She gestured to herself. "This was done to me by my human family, and that's all humans do nowadays. They're filled with darkness and contaminating this world. No human has gone through life without a little pain. You two know that. Right?" She giggled again.

"Judai, what is she talking about?" Asuka asked.

"What are you saying?" he asked. "That all humans do is hurt each other? That's a joke! I've seen way more than enough to know that's not true!"

"You're partly right," the girl admitted. "Humans were meant to be good, but darkness enters their lives in many forms. Greed, fear, loneliness, sorrow, those are prime examples of the darkness that humans cause. They're causing their own destruction and soon will disappear. We're simply trying to save them from this is all."

"S-save us?" Asuka asked. "That can't be true! You're the one behind the disappearances, aren't you!? Darkness, was it!? Tell us! What have you done with Kathleen!?"

"Don't worry, my dear," the girl answered. "You'll be with her soon enough. So, how's your brother doing? Is he still hurting your boyfriend? Wouldn't you love to get away from him? Why don't you come with me then? And I'll take you to a place of eternal peace."

Asuka backed up slightly. "I-I..."

The girl held out a hand. "Come. Let's go."

Asuka didn't say a word. Looking at her, Judai could tell that she was thinking of taking that girl up on her offer—or, rather, taking Darkness up on his.

"Asuka! Don't listen to her! It's just one of Darkness's tricks! Besides, Fubuki and I have reached an understanding."

"Huh?" She looked at Judai and asked, "You have?"

"Foolish boy," the girl said. "Don't interfere."

Many more little girls, all copies of this one, appeared and charged Judai. Though he struggled, the swarm of girls managed to pin him to the ground, holding his arms and legs down so he couldn't move.

"Judai!" Asuka exclaimed, moving to help him.

"Now, come with me," the girl said to Asuka. "To the land of eternal darkness!"

Asuka found herself surrounded by a mysterious dark cloud. Her eyes glowed blue for a moment before she disappeared.

Judai's eyes widened in horror. "ASUKA!"

The swarm of girls giggled before they all turned their attention to Judai. "Now all that's left is to figure out how to properly dispose of you," the original said. "Let's see... I know. How about we use this?"

She started toward him, holding a device he knew all to well, something that absolutely terrified him—it was a black band with a red light on it.

Judai squirmed and thrashed around, trying in vain to break free.

The girl with the bomb giggled. "Yes. This should be a fitting end for you. Destroyed by the very thing that fills your heart with darkness and despair. Let this be a lesson to you about the truth behind all mankind, as this was their creation. This is the end for you. Farewell."

All the girls laughed as the one with the bomb leaned over to attach it to Judai's leg.

_"__Judai, listen to me!"_ Yubel commanded. _"Use your powers to make me real! Hurry!"_

He did as he was told, his eyes glowing and turning into Yubel's as he called her out from within. She emerged and attacked the girls, starting with the one with the bomb, then the ones holding him. The girls dispersed, turning into a dark mist.

_"__Hurry, Judai! Get out of here before it recovers! Run!"_

He got up and ran for it, knowing he had to stop Darkness somehow—after all, the monster had just taken his girlfriend from him.


	14. Kathleen?

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Johan ran through the woods, looking for Kathleen. He found it to be eerily quiet. He stopped and looked around.

"What's going on here?" he wondered.

A familiar giggle came from behind him, then a female voice he knew well said, "Aw, come on, hon. Ain't that obvious?"

He turned to see the very girl he had been looking for. But...something was off. She was wearing a strange grin, and that giggle had almost sounded evil.

"Kathleen!? What's wrong? Where've you been!?"

"What do you mean?" she asked. "I've been right here this whole time. Say, why don't you come over here?"

Johan backed up—she sounded menacing just then, and she was looking pretty evil. Kind of like Akiko on a bad day, only scarier.

"Kathleen... What's wrong with you?" he asked.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with me. Come on, hon. Why are you so scared? You have nothing to fear by me. But, if you need some proof, then duel me. I mean, we never duel anymore, and I think it's about time for a rematch! Come on! It'll be fun?"

It was so weird—she still sounded menacing there for a bit, but, at the end, she sounded like herself again.

Johan hesitated, still wary. "Okay..."

Kathleen activated her duel disk, saying, "Come on, hon! And I'll show you my amazing beasts!"

Johan activated his duel disk, still not entirely sure Kathleen was herself today.

Johan: 4000  
Kathleen: 4000

"I'll go first!" he said, drawing his card. "I summon Amber Mammoth!" (Atk 1700)

An amber appeared on the field before bursting open to reveal a large gray mammoth with an amber on his forehead.

"Turn end."

"Okay!" Kathleen said. "Here goes! I draw!" She looked over the cards in her hand, then giggled. "Okay! First I play a monster face down! Then I place one card face down. You're up, sweetie!" she said with a playful grin.

Johan drew his next card, still not sure what was going on here. _Her personality did a complete flip-flop! What on earth is wrong with her?_

"Okay, Kathy, I activate M-Force! And I'm equipping it to my Mammoth! With this, he gains 500 attack this turn. And, if he attacks a defending monster with less defense, the difference comes out of your life points!"

"Oh, no! You serious!?"

"Yep! So, Mammoth, attack her face-down monster!"

The mammoth charged at the enemy, revealing a giant rat with a skull in its paw. With only 1450 defense points, it was easily wiped out by the powered-up mammoth.

Johan: 4000  
Kathleen: 3250

"Oh, no!" Kathleen whined. "My precious Ralphy! How could you, Johan?"

Johan sweat. "It's a duel, Kathy..."

"Oh, well. Since he's gone, I get to summon another Earth-type monster from my deck. So come on out, Thomas!"

"Thomas" turned out to be a Playful Possum with 800 attack points.

"Cute, Kathy, but I don't think that little guy will last much longer," Johan said. "I'll end my turn, so it's back to you."

"Okay! My turn, then!" She drew her card and then paused. "...Johan, don't you think that was a bit much?"

"Huh?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"That last attack was brutal. Not only did you destroy my friend Ralphy, but you gave me damage even though he was in defense mode. Why, the only way it could have been worse is if you had summoned another monster, ya know?"

"Kathleen, it's just—"

"Why, that's just like what you did at the dance last night. How you ruthlessly assaulted Fubuki like that? You showed him no mercy and almost did more to Momoe. That's just like what just happened just now, right? You should be ashamed."

"Okay, so I lost my temper at the dance!" Johan admitted. "Can you blame me? I mean, he tried to kill Judai! Akiko would have done worse, I'm sure!"

"That's no excuse," Kathleen said. "You just stooped down to his level. Typical behavior, really. After all, _all_ humans hurt one another sometimes, right?" She shrugged and continued, "Well, anyway, on with the duel! I activate Thomas's effect! Play dead, boy!"

The possum rolled over onto his back, then shattered in the way monsters always do when they're destroyed.

"Huh?" Johan asked, totally lost. "What did he just do?"

"Oh. I'm sorry. Didn't I tell you that, when my mole sees an opponent stronger than him, he can go to the graveyard? Well, anyway, now that he's gone, by paying 1000 life points, I get to summon _this_ monster!" she said, holding up a card. "Come on out, George! I special summon Green Baboon!" (Atk 2600)

Johan: 4000  
Kathleen: 2250

As Kathleen's life points fell, a giant green baboon appeared, clad in wooden armor and carrying a club.

Johan's eyes widened. "What!?"

"Yeah. See, George hates anyone who kills an innocent forest creature, so he comes out for revenge. Just like you did last night. Still think revenge is a good thing?" She slipped a card into her duel disk as she added, "Next I activate a continuous spell, Poison Fang! Thanks to this, whenever my beasts do damage, you get hit with an extra 500 points of damage on top of that!"

Johan stepped back. "2600 attack..._and_ extra damage? Who's brutal now?"

"What goes around comes around, dear," Kathleen answered. "Now, my beast! Avenge the fallen and attack!"

The baboon raised his club and smashed Johan's mammoth. An amber appeared on Johan's field with the mammoth's destruction.

Johan: 3100  
Kathleen: 2250

"Now for Poison Fang!" Kathleen said. "You take 500 more points of damage!"

Johan: 2600  
Kathleen: 2250

"I set two cards face down," she finished. "You're move, dear!"

Drawing his card, Johan muttered, "'Dear...'" _Kathy's acting strange. What's gotten into her?_

He glanced at his card, then, "I summon Amethyst Cat!" (Atk 1200)

An amethyst appeared on the field before bursting open to release a large pink cat with a gold emblem on her chest. The emblem had an amethyst embedded in the center.

"Next I activate E-Force to release my mammoth!"

The amber shattered, once again placing the mammoth on the field. This time, though, he was in defense mode with 1600 defense points.

"So, you protect your friends but kill your enemies?" Kathleen asked.

"What are you talking about?" Johan demanded. "I've never killed anyone!"

"But what about Fubuki?" she asked. "No one's seen him since last night. You left him helpless and badly wounded on the floor. I bet he didn't make it... In fact, I'm sure he didn't. Those energies you gave him were super severe. He's probably dead right now. Or at least dying."

"I didn't hurt him _that_ bad!"

"Or so you think. People tend to get a little crazy when they're angry. Maybe you just didn't realize how bad it really was. Poor guy," she said, closing her eyes and shaking her head sadly. "Face it, Johan. You're a murderer."

"You're wrong," he said, hoping he was right about that.

"Really? Then why was Jim so scared? You heard the way he was talking to you. Like he thought you went crazy, right?"

"I admit, I went a little crazy, but I didn't kill anyone."

Kathleen shrugged. "If that's what you want to believe. Sorry I bothered you. Get on with your turn, then."

She didn't sound like she believed him, and her tone was sad, as though she honestly believed she was talking to a murderer. It made Johan start to wonder if she was right.

_What if I _did_ go too far? What if Fubuki really _is_ dying? Did I actually kill a man?_

_"__Johan, listen to me,"_ Sapphire Pegasus said as he appeared beside the boy. _"That's not Kathleen you're talking to."_

"What do you mean?" he asked.

_"__Think about it. Kathleen knows you didn't kill anyone! She was on _your _side last night! She knows Fubuki will be fine, and even she thinks he deserved what he got. Though, granted, that _was_ a bit much, my friend. Point is, that's not her. Someone else is trying to trick you, using her deck and form. Don't fall for it! Or you could end up joining her! Understood?"_

Johan nodded. "Yep, I got it, pal. Thanks. I almost fell for her trick." He turned back to the Kathleen lookalike and continued, "But I'm not _that _stupid! I know what really happened last night, and I know Fubuki's all right! All I did was give him some bruises and a broken nose! _That's _not enough to kill someone, and you know it! Alright, who are you!? And why do you look like Kathy!? Tell me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "Of course I'm me! Who else would I be, silly?"

"Don't lie to me! I know you're not really Kathleen! So, who are you!? Are you working for Darkness!?"

"Why not focus on the duel more and less on who I am? 'Cause, as you can see, you're at a serious disadvantage here."

"If you insist!" Johan said. "Due to her special effect, Amethyst Cat can cut her attack in half to attack you directly!"

The fake cringed, putting her arms over her face, saying, "Uh-oh. Here come the claws!"

"Bingo! And you're asking for it, too, you impostor! Now, Amethyst Cat, teach her a lesson!"

The cat pounced Kathleen's fake, pinning her to the ground.

"Uh, nice kitty?" she said. _Darn! _She glanced at one of her face-down cards and thought, _My Battle Instincts can only help against direct attacks when I've got no monsters! Curse you, Johan!_

The cat raised her paw and scratched the enemy across the face.

Johan: 2600  
Kathleen: 1650

As the cat, leaped back over to Johan's field, the fake Kathleen sat up, rubbing her cheek. "Ow... That hurt, Johan!"

"Then I set one card," Johan said, ignoring her. "That'll do it for me. You're up, you fake."

"Why do you keep calling me that? You're so mean, Johan!" She drew her card and grinned. "Alright! You're in for it now! First I call my Thomas back from the grave using his other effect."

The possum reappeared on the field.

"Then I activate my first set card, Call of the Haunted, to get my Ralphy back also."

The giant rat reappeared on the field, leaving Johan with a sense of dread. _Three monsters... She's not gonna..._

"Sadly, though, they won't be there for long...," the impostor continued, confirming Johan's fears. "'Cause now I sacrifice all three of my beasts to call out my ultimate monster! I summon you now! Chimaera! The Master of Beasts! And my _true_ forest guardian! You're up, pal!" (Atk 3000)

A huge monster appeared, roaring ferociously. Its front half was white, its back half black. It had two heads, both covered in an orange mane. Both of its heads were horned, one with black horns, the other with yellow. It had enormous white wings that faded to black toward the bottom, and the front half of a black snake was where its tail should have been.

Johan stepped back a bit, stunned. "Whoa..."

The phony Kathleen cupped her hands together, closed her eyes, and bowed her head. "To all my friends that gave their lives for this beast: Thank you. You will not be forgotten." She opened her eyes and, to Johan, said, "Now to show them how much their sacrifice _really _meant!" She held up another card, saying, "I activate my field spell, Closed Forest!"

A dense forest appeared around them, much more dense than the real one they were standing in. Johan looked around.

"Oops! I'm sorry!" the imitation said. "You're totally lost again, aren't you? Must be hard being you sometimes. Don't you just wish you didn't get lost all the time? Bet life would be easier. Don't you think so?"

Johan growled a bit. "I'm not lost!" he said defensively.

"What? Really? But we're so deep in a forest! Why, you may _never_ find your way out! Especially since you can't use another field spell as long as it's on the field." She grinned evilly.

"It's just a field spell! It's not like I'm actually _in_ a forest! When this duel's over, it goes away!"

Johan sweat, though, realizing that he _was_ technically in a forest.

The girl who looked like Kathleen shrugged. "If you say so. Guess that's a good thing, though, 'cause this forest's haunted, anyway."

"Haunted?" he asked.

"Yeah! By the ghosts of the fallen forest creatures, duh," she said sarcastically. "They give their avengers what little strength they have left so they can join in the fight, too! So, basically, my Chimaera gains 100 attack for each monster in my graveyard."

"There's three...so that means..."

"You got it! That means Chimaera's attack rises by 300 points! Making his attack points 3300!"

Johan stared at the monster with wide eyes. "3300... Whoa..."

"Okay, my guardian! Attack his Amethyst Cat!"

The beast roared and charged the cat, intending to pounce.

"Hold on!" Johan said. "I activate Amber Mammoth's effect! When you attack one of my Crystal Beasts, I can switch the attack target to my mammoth!"

"What? No! Now I can't deal you any damage!" the fake complained.

"Then I activate my face-down! Crystal Flash!"

"Huh!? No way! What's _that_ do!?"

"With this card, I add one Crystal Beast to my spell and trap card zone, then I pick one Beast I control. For this turn, that monster can't be destroyed in battle! And I choose Amber Mammoth!"

"Hey! That's no fair! Now my attack's useless!" She glanced at her face-down card—Beast Soul Swap.

"Not really," Johan taunted. "It helped me get another Crystal on the field!" As he spoke, he placed a card in his duel disk, and a topaz appeared on the field behind the monsters.

"Kathleen" crossed her arms, humphing. "I guess I'll end my turn then..." _Great. Thanks to that dumb trap of his, my whole strategy was blown. Oh, well, guess I'll just have to try again next turn. Just wait, Johan Andersen. Your life ends next turn."_

"It's back to me! Draw!" He glanced at the card, then said, "I summon Sapphire Pegasus!" (Atk 1800)

A sapphire appeared, which burst open. The white pegasus with a sapphire horn emerged from the gem.

"With his effect, I add Cobalt Eagle to my spell and trap zone!" Johan said, inserting another card into his duel disk. A blue gem appeared beside the topaz. "Now, because I've got two Crystals in my spell and trap zone, I activate Rare Value! Pick a Crystal, 'Kathy.'"

"So _I'm_ being asked to send an innocent creature to its death, then? You're so cruel, Johan!"

"Oh, you've already killed them, wiping them off the field and trapping them in crystals," he said, referring to her attack on Amber Mammoth. "What does it matter if you send one to the actual graveyard now?"

"I guess you're right... Okay! Then I choose your Cobalt Eagle!" She waved and added, "Bye-bye, birdie!"

The blue gemstone disappeared, and Johan drew two cards. He glanced at them before saying, "Next I activate Monster Reincarnation! By discarding one card, I return Cobalt Eagle to my hand! Now I activate Golden Rule!"

He thought it was a rather fitting card, considering what she had been saying about him earlier. She'd say he hadn't been following the Golden Rule. Well, he'd introduce her to his own version.

"Golden what?" the fake asked.

"Haven't you ever heard the Golden Rule? You know, treat others the way you want to be treated?"

"Oh, I know that, silly!" she said. "That's why we're fighting right now! You abused a man, and now you're gonna pay for it! But what I wanna know is what that card does!"

"I'm getting to that! See, this isn't the same Golden Rule. This is my family's version. It lets me put two level 3 or lower Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone, so come out, Emerald Tortoise and Ruby!"

An emerald and a ruby appeared on the field, along with the topaz that still sat there.

"Next, I summon one monster and equip it with this card. Now, Cobalt Eagle! It's your turn!"

The eagle appeared, cobalt gemstones embedded in his wings. Johan smirked.

"'Kathy...' All my Crystal Beasts are on the field." He held up the last card in his hand. "And guess what this last card in my hand is?"

"Kathleen" gasped, backing up. "Oh, no..."

"Oh, yes! I call forth my mightiest creature! I summon Rainbow Dragon!"

"NOOO!"

The serpentine, white dragon appeared and glared at Johan's opponent.

"No, no, no! It can't be!" she exclaimed. "I was way too careless!"

"Answer me! Who are you, really!?" He shook his head, changing his mind. "No, never mind. It doesn't matter. Rainbow Dragon! Attack her Chimaera!"

"AAHH! No! Not him! He's my forest guardian!" As the rainbow burst of light hit her monster, she cried, "NOOO! Chimaera!"

She screamed as her life points dropped.

Johan: 2600  
Kathleen: 950

"Now, Sapphire Pegasus! Cobalt Eagle! Amethyst Cat! Attack her directly! If she wants 'brutal,' we'll give her brutal!"

The three monsters lunged at her at the same time.

_No! I don't have a monster strong enough to stop his attacks! _she thought, glancing again at Battle Instincts. "Johan! Wait! We don't have to fight! Why not come back with me instead!" she said extremely nervously. "You won't get lost anymore! Whatcha say, hon?"

"No way! And stop calling me 'hon!' I don't know who you are, but you're not Kathy! So stop acting like her!"

The impostor screamed as her life hit zero.

"W-why? I thought for sure you could understand!" she cried. "Johan!"

With that, she vanished, turning to shadows the same way that Trueman had after Johan had dueled him. Johan took several deep breaths.

"Well...so much for that..." He shouted to the heavens, "DARKNESS! How _dare_ you use her against me like that! I'll never forgive you for this!"

He stormed off, hoping to find someone who could help him home. After all, if Darkness had Kathleen, they weren't going to find her unless they defeated that thing somehow. Difficult, considering it had yet to show itself.


	15. The Fate of Humanity

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

Judai didn't stop running until he was back in town. When he got there, though, he felt a growing sense of dread creeping in on him. The sky was dark, even though it was the middle of the day, and there were no people in sight.

"Where...where is everyone...?" he asked. "The city's deserted."

_"__This doesn't look good,"_ Yubel said. _"Look at that! There's a black object blocking out the sun!"_

He looked up. Sure enough, the sun was blocked out, as if there were a solar eclipse going on. The only problem with that theory was that there wasn't supposed to _be_ a solar eclipse today.

"Tch..."

No sooner had he noted the thing in the sky than he felt as if there was someone watching him. He looked around, asking, "Who's there!? Show yourself!"

Long blond hair and hazel eyes, Asuka came out from behind a bush off to his right. "Judai? Is something wrong?" she asked.

Another Asuka came from his left, saying, "'Cause you don't look so good."

"Perhaps you need to lie down," her voice said behind him, and he turned to see her coming from back there as well.

Before he knew it, dozens of copies of his girlfriend were approaching, showing up out of thin air and surrounding him. They were giggling, to make things even creepier.

"Come with me, Judai," one said. "I'll take care of you."

"Yes, you should come with me," said another.

"Let's go, Judai. Come."

"Come."

"Come."

They giggled again, their eyes glowing blue, and he felt their power trying to hypnotize him. He activated his own powers, glad to find that they protected him from Darkness's manipulation.

"That's enough," he said, glaring around at the fakes with Yubel's eyes. "Your little tricks won't work. Now tell me what you've done to everyone!"

"What are you talking about?" an Asuka to his left asked.

"You're more tired than I thought," another added.

"But don't worry. I'll soon remedy that for you."

They giggled and started moving toward him menacingly. He tried to push though them so that he could get away, but one of them grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back. A couple more grabbed his arms before he could recover and held on tight.

"Hey! Let go!" he protested, squirming around as he tried to pull free of their grip.

"What's your rush?" asked an Asuka in front of him. "Don't you like spending time with me?" She giggled, then pulled out a knife and stepped forward, closing the gap between the two of them. "In that case, I'll make this real quick so you can rest in peace."

* * *

Johan wasn't sure how, but he managed to find his way back to Domino City without help. Good thing, too—he hadn't been able to find anyone else in the woods. He was running around in search of any sign of life when Ruby spotted something off to his right.

_"__Bii bii!"_ the spirit said, alerting Johan to the action.

"Huh!?" he asked, looking.

There were dozens of copies of Asuka, maybe more. They had someone surrounded. It was hard to tell who through the crowd, but he saw when they shifted—Judai. He was being gripped tightly by two of the Asukas, with a third holding a knife to his chest.

"Any last words?" she asked, giggling.

"Oh, crap!" Johan cursed, activating his duel disk. He smacked a card down, commanding, "Rainbow Dragon! Attack!"

"What!?" the Asukas asked, startled.

They turned just as the dragon attacked, blasting the one with the knife. Johan summoned Amethyst Cat, Topaz Tiger, Sapphire Pegasus, and Amber Mammoth to help the dragon out. The cat and tiger pounced the girls holding Judai, destroying them, before joining their comrades in destroying the other Asukas.

"Judai!" Johan called, charging through the mess to help his friend. "You okay!?"

Judai looked at him warily, backing up slightly.

"It's okay, pal!" Johan assured him. "It's just me!"

Johan's monsters finished off the last of the Asukas and then disappeared. Judai looked around, noticing that everything that had been attacking him was gone, then relaxed.

"Johan! Boy, am I glad to see you!" he said, smiling. "Thanks!"

"Don't mention it. But what's going on around here, anyway? Is this what Darkness planned to do? Erase everything and everyone, or—" He cut himself off, not sure what the "or" would be.

"He's taken them to his world," Judai answered darkly.

"But why? What's he after, anyway? Is he aiming to control the world or something?"

Judai shrugged. "I don't know exactly what he's up to."

"You two are really starting to bug me," a voice said. "Therefore, I believe it's about time we settle this once and for all."

The boys looked around, trying to find the speaker.

"What was that!?" Johan asked.

The object blocking out the sun started getting larger and larger, closer and closer.

_"__Judai, watch yourself!"_ Yubel cautioned. _"Here it comes!"_

Judai nodded, bracing himself for whatever was coming, knowing this would be one battle he couldn't afford to lose.

_"__You, too, Johan!"_ Sapphire Pegasus agreed. _"The final battle is about to begin!"_

"Right, got it!" Johan answered, determination on his face.

The object morphed, taking on a humanoid form. It was clothed in black robes and cloak, with yellow trim. The front of its robe was open, revealing its rib cage—no skin or organs of any sort. It had glowing blue eyes set in an elongated skull that looked more like the skull of a dog. Poking out of its sleeves were skeletal hands.

_"__Ah! That's him!"_ Yubel said. _"That's his true form, I'm sure of it!"_

"Darkness!" Judai exclaimed, glaring at the creature before him.

"That is correct," it said. "This is my true form, the same one that took you and made you who you are today, Yubel. A shame that it's come to this, though."

"What are you after!?" Johan demanded. "Is it total domination of the world!?"

"What do I want? I have no needs. I'm only following the path that fate has chosen."

"Fate!?" Judai asked.

Darkness started giving them a history lesson, which Judai chose to ignore, rolling his eyes instead.

_Oh, come off it. What do I care how he says the world came to be!? I just wanna know what the hell he's doing playing God like this! He's got no right!_

He tuned in for the end, though, when Darkness said something about how humans had been corrupted by evil and mistreated their world, making Darkness's world stronger.

_Okay, so, basically, he thinks it's time for the world to end, and he's gonna make it end. Oh, he's playing God, alright,_ Judai thought.

"That's crazy!" Johan said before Judai could. "Are you saying you're here to pass judgment on humanity!? Then, if that's true, they why use such dirty tricks like using our friends against us!?"

"Yeah! And turning Yubel into a monster to keep _me_ from getting in the way!?" Judai demanded. "If this is really the 'fate' of humanity, then I shouldn't even be here, should I!?"

"Your existence wasn't part of this world's destiny," Darkness asserted. "You were created by humanity centuries ago in an attempt to change their own future."

While Judai was trying to figure out how that was even possible since he was only sixteen, Johan demanded, "What do you mean by that!?"

"It is true. His destiny started when the residents of the planet Neo Space first came into contact with the origin of the universe—Duel Monsters. They saw how powerful the cards were and started using their powers for their own selfish gain. They made the monsters engage in battle as soldiers and used the magic to control each other with brainwashing or fear. Over time, these humans awakened me and another dark force known as the Light of Destruction. The darkness in their hearts fed both my power and the power of the Light until one day, the day of judgment finally came, and the Light started destroying all as punishment for their actions.

"The people of Neo Space feared what would happen to them, so they used their magic and technology to steal some power from me and used it to create the card of darkness, hoping that somebody strong enough to control the power would appear and save them. As fate would have it, this never came to pass, and Neo Space perished. The card, however, found its way to the guardian of that world, and it filled the card with its dearest wishes for changing the future right before the world ended. The card's magic seeped out and merged with the guardian, then showed him that his wish would come true one day.

"When Judai was born, Earth was already heading towards its end. The card's wish activated in response to this and filled the newborn infant with the powers of the Neo-Spacian Darkness of Creation it had absorbed from the guardian. This would allow him to one day combine his powers with the card spirits and change the world's future. In other words, Judai, your destiny's a fake created by humans from another planet."

_That's crazy. Humans from another planet are the only reason I was born!? As if! _Tired of listening to this guy, Judai snapped, "Enough with all this talk about destiny! I don't care what you say! I'm here, and I'm not going to let you destroy the world!"

"That's right! And he's not the only one! I'll help, too!" Johan said.

"It's useless to resist. The people of this world chose to come to my world, and no wild duel spirit can change that, either. Your dragon is just like that guardian, thinking that just because it's strong and special that it has the power to change all this. But, like all pretend gods, its powers are limited. As of now, my powers far surpass that monster's. You are no longer a threat to me."

"Yeah!? Well, we'll see about that!" Johan responded. "I'm guessing you're here to duel us, so let's stop wasting time and get it over with! I can't wait to kick your butt after all you've done!"

"Yeah!" Judai agreed. "Let's stop wasting time, Darkness!"

"As you wish. Then I shall defeat you both with the origin of the universe."

Five black wings appeared on his back. Johan activated his duel disk.

"Bring it on, you monster!" he said. "No one does that to Kathy and gets away with it!"

"So, should I assume that means you're going first?"

"Hold on!" Judai said, activating his duel disk as well. "If it's a fight you want, you'll have to take us both on, Darkness!"

"Judai!" Johan said, looking at his friend.

"I accept," Darkness agreed. "Either way, it makes no difference to me. You're still going to fall right here and now. Fate has already decided this."

"We won't lose," Johan asserted. "Fate isn't something set in stone. You can choose your own paths and create your own destiny! And, mark my words, with Judai by my side, we will defeat you and save everyone!"

Judai nodded his agreement, and the two prepared for what was sure to be their toughest and most important duel ever.


	16. Judai vs Johan vs Darkness

**A/N: There should be two or three left after this. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

"This will be a triangle duel," Darkness told the two. "A player is allowed to attack or defend any other player, and the last one standing is the winner. This way, you shall have the opportunity to change sides should you grow wise during the duel."

"Yeah, like either of us is changing sides!" Judai retorted.

"In your dreams!" Johan agreed.

Judai: 4000  
Johan: 4000  
Darkness: 4000

"I'll go first!" Judai said, drawing his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" (1600)

Clad in blue and gold, the hero appeared in a burst of electricity.

"Then I play one card face down. Turn end."

"I'm next!" Johan declared, drawing his card. "Come out, Sapphire Pegasus!" (Atk 1800)

A sapphire appeared on the field, bursting open to reveal the white, winged horse.

"With his special effect, I get to add one Crystal from my deck to my spell and trap card zone," he added, taking a card from his deck. "Amber Mammoth!"

An amber appeared on the field behind the pegasus.

"I play one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Darkness said. "Draw." A card appeared in his hand as he spoke. He glanced at it, then said, "I summon Red-Eyes Black Chick." (Atk 800)

One of the cards in his hand vanished, reappearing on one of his wings. At the same time, a red egg appeared on the field, cracking open slightly to reveal a tiny black dragon.

"Then I activate its effect. By sending it to the graveyard, I am able to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon." (Atk 2400)

As he spoke, the baby dragon burst out of the egg. In a burst of light, the baby was replaced by a fully grown black dragon.

Judai's eyes widened. "A 2400-attack point monster on the first turn..."

"Still, it's a triangle duel, so none of us are allowed to attack on the first turn!" Johan reminded them both.

"True. But who said I had to? There are other moves I can make," Darkness said, reaching for a card in his hand. He held it up, saying, "I activate Inferno Fire Blast. When I have a Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field, I can inflict direct damage to my opponent equal to the attack of my dragon. The only question is which of you should I target first. But that isn't even up for debate." He looked at Judai and finished, "Judai, you shall take the effect damage. You're the one with the false destiny."

Judai's eyes narrowed. "Tch..."

Red-Eyes shot a fire ball straight for Judai, bypassing his monster and dealing him a direct attack. Judai cried out in pain as the flames licked at his body.

_Another shadow game, huh? _he thought.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 4000  
Darkness: 4000

"Judai!" Johan called. "Are you all right!?"

As the smoke cleared, Judai stumbled slightly, but he managed to stay on his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. "But watch yourself! This is a shadow game!"

Johan nodded. "Got it, pal!"

"I set one card face down. That ends my turn," Darkness said.

"Then it's back to me!" Judai said. "Draw!" He glanced at his new card and smiled. "Alright! I activate Polymerization! And I'll use it to fuse the Sparkman on my field with the Avian and Bubbleman in my hand! Come forth, Elemental Hero Tempest!" (Atk 2800)

Sparkman merged with the other two, and a muscular man in blue and yellow armor appeared. A visor hid his eyes, and he had long green hair and green and white wings. His right arm had a blaster on it.

"Tempest, attack his Red-Eyes!" Judai commanded.

Tempest fired his blaster at the dragon, wiping it off the field in one shot.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 4000  
Darkness: 3600

"Turn end," Judai finished.

"Alright!" Johan said. "Now he's wide open for our next attack! It's my turn!" He drew his card. "I summon Cobalt Eagle!" (Atk 1400)

A blue gem appeared on the field, shattering to unleash an eagle with the same gemstones embedded in his wings and chest.

"Eagle! Attack him directly!"

As the eagle swooped in for an attack, Darkness said, "I activate my trap, Birthright. With this, I'll bring my Red-Eyes Black Dragon back from the grave." (Atk 2400)

A hole opened up in the ground, and the dragon crawled out of it, ready to fight. The eagle stopped and pulled back.

"Tch. I switch Sapphire Pegasus to defense mode. (1200) Turn end."

"Then it's my turn. Draw." Another card appeared in Darkness's hand. "I activate Stamping Destruction. When I control a dragon-type monster, this card allows me to destroy one of my opponent's spell or trap cards, dealing the owner of the card 500 points of damage. Johan, you have remained unscathed thus far. I'll show you what happens to those who go against destiny."

Red-Eyes Black Dragon blasted Johan's face-down card, hitting him at the same time. Johan cried out in pain as the dragon's blast hit.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 3500  
Darkness: 3600

"Next I sacrifice my Red-Eyes Black Dragon for a more powerful monster. By sending it to the graveyard, I am able to summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon." (Atk 2400)

Red-Eyes burst into flames, which died down after a moment to reveal a black dragon with red lines and jewels on its body.

"Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains 300 attack points for each dragon-type monster in my graveyard. There are two, so its attack goes up to 3000!"

"What!?" Judai and Johan exclaimed.

"Now, I think I'll deal with the weakest one first," Darkness said. "I owe it to you to put you out of your misery, Johan Andersen. Since I haven't yet been able to save you, that is."

"And what's that supposed to mean!?" Johan demanded. "I don't want to go to your world, Darkness!"

"Of course you do," Darkness insisted. "All humans do. They're tired and just want to rest. Tired of worrying. Tired of suffering the cruelties of real life. I know you're tired, too, Johan. Of getting lost? Letting your friends down? Wouldn't it be nice to just forget all that? It's not too late. You can still surrender and come home with me."

"Forget it! You took Kathy from me! Why would I ever want to go with you!? I'm gonna beat you and get her back, along with everyone else you took!"

"Very well, then. Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, attack his Cobalt Eagle!"

The dragon shot a fire ball at the eagle, but Judai wasn't letting that happen.

"Hold on, Darkness! I activate my trap, Negate Attack!"

"Delaying the inevitable, I see. Well, no matter. Turn end."

Johan looked at Judai and said, "Thanks for the save, pal."

"No problem," Judai answered, drawing his card. "I switch Tempest to defense mode and play one card face down. Turn end."

Johan drew his next card, glancing at it before saying, "I set one card face down. Then I activate the spell card, Golden Rule! I'll equip it to my Sapphire Pegasus, which lets me add two Crystal Beasts from my deck to my spell and trap card zone. And I choose Amethyst Cat and Emerald Tortoise!"

An amethyst and an emerald appeared on the field alongside the amber and the other cards.

"In addition, Golden Rule lets me summon one Crystal Beast from my hand! Appear! Ruby Carbuncle!" (Atk 300)

A ruby appeared on the field, shattering to unleash a small, purple, cat-like creature with four ears. Its eyes were rubies, there was a ruby on the tip of its tail, and there was a smaller ruby on its forehead.

"When Ruby's special summoned, his special ability activates, summoning Crystal Beasts from my spell and trap card zone! Ruby Happiness!"

The ruby on the creature's tail started to glow, and light flew off of it, hitting the amber and the amethyst. The gems the light touched shattered, unleashing a gray mammoth with an amber in his forehead and a pink cat with an amethyst embedded in the emblem on her chest.

Amber Mammoth: Atk 1700  
Amethyst Cat: Atk 1200

"Now for Amethyst's effect! By cutting her attack in half, she can attack the opponent directly!"

The cat lunged at Darkness, raking her claws across his skeletal figure. Darkness didn't even flinch.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 3500  
Darkness: 3000

"Turn end," Johan said.

"Then it's my turn. Draw." Again, a card appeared in the creature's hand. "I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two more cards. Then I activate Card Destruction, forcing all of us to discard our hands and draw new ones."

Johan glanced at the cards in his hand before sending them to the graveyard. Among them was Topaz Tiger.

_Now I'm all set to summon Rainbow Dragon...as soon as one of my monster zones opens up,_ he thought.

Judai growled slightly as he was forced to send Neos to the graveyard.

After Darkness had refilled his hand, he continued, "The cards I discarded were both dragon-type monsters, raising my Darkness Dragons attack power by 600 points." (3600)

"Oh, crap," Judai muttered.

"Next, I activate the spell Heavy Storm. This destroys all spell and trap cards on the field."

A strong gust of wind kicked up, blowing Judai's and Johan's face-down cards, as well as Johan's crystals, off the field.

"Johan. Your Golden Rule has another effect, does it not?" Darkness taunted.

"When it's removed from the field, the monster summoned by its effect is destroyed," Johan answered as Ruby was destroyed, becoming nothing more than a gem on his field. _But at least that opens up a spot for my Rainbow Dragon._

"I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Meteor Dragon." (Atk 1800)

Out of the ground arose a meteor with wings, and the dragon's head, tail, and legs appeared out of various holes in the meteor. Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's attack power dropped to 3300.

"Now, Meteor Dragon, eradicate that mammoth!"

The Meteor Dragon opened its mouth and sent a fireball flying at Johan's monster, destroying it and leaving an amber in its place. Johan cried out in pain yet again.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 3400  
Darkness: 3000

"And now, Judai, my Darkness Dragon destroys your Tempest."

The other dragon let loose a fireball that fried the hero, destroying it.

"Turn end. And, during the end phase of a turn in which I did not normal summon a monster, I am able to remove my Red-Eyes Wyvern from play to summon another Red-Eyes monster from my graveyard. I remove my Wyvern to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon." (Atk 2400)

The dragon reappeared on the field. With another two dragons removed from the graveyard, however, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's attack dropped to 2700.

"It's my turn, then," Judai said. "Draw." He glanced at his cards. "Tch... I summon Wroughtweiler in defense mode." (1200)

A metal dog appeared, green lines running throughout its body, and crouched on the field.

"Turn end."

Johan glanced at Judai. _Hand trouble?_ he thought, drawing his own card. "I play one card face down. Next, Amethyst Cat attacks you directly!"

Again the cat slashed Darkness, dealing him a few hundred more life points worth of damage.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 3400  
Darkness: 2400

"I switch Cobalt Eagle to defense mode. Turn end." (800)

All was quiet for a moment before Darkness said, "From the looks of your fields, you are both almost out of options. Why must you continue to struggle? You cannot win. Not against me."

"Don't count us out just yet, Darkness!" Judai said. "The duel's not over until the last card is played!"

"That's right!" Johan agreed. "Besides, I've still got some tricks left!"

"Why must you be like that? Don't you see? I am mankind's future. Yours, too, Johan. You should not fear me. I've come to bring you eternal peace. Why do you fear that?"

"You call taking everyone to your world 'giving them eternal peace!?' If that's your image for the future, then count me out of it!" was Johan's answer.

"So you'd rather stay here with this monster you call a friend?" Darkness asked, making Judai tense. "Do you not see that he has changed? He is no longer human. Nothing but a foreign object with no place in this world."

"Hey! That's my friend you're talking about!" Johan snapped. "He's not a monster at all!"

"I don't think he agrees with you." Darkness turned to Judai and asked, "Do you, Judai?"

Judai took a step back. "I..."

_"__Stop right there!"_ Yubel commanded of him. _"_You're_ the monster who doesn't belong!? IDIOT! You're trying to save everyone! _He's_ trying to hurt them! Or did you forget why all this is happening?"_

_But even a monster thinks I don't belong? That I'm a monster who shouldn't be here? Just like Fubuki and everyone said..._

**_"_**_**He's a monster, and I don't want to risk having him hurt my little sis!" "Bucki's here! He'll protect you!" "I don't want that **_**thing****_ anywhere near my sister!" "He's got you under some sort of a spell!" "It's just as we thought!" "Stop lying, you monster!" "I don't care what that thing does, just so long as it leaves my sister alone!" "Don't worry, Asuka! We'll save you!" "Darkness swirling around a guy is usually a _bad_ thing!" "We'll n-never let you have her, you monster!" "What if Fubuki's right?" "How many attack points do you have!?" "He _is_ a bit different all of a sudden." "Maybe he's a duel monster in disguise!"_**

The words Fubuki and his classmates had said ran through his head. If everyone was saying it, wasn't it possible that it was true?

"He's wrong, Judai!" Johan's voice penetrated Judai's thoughts. "They _all_ are! The only monster around here's the one attacking everyone and dragging them to his world! You're no monster! You're a hero!"

Judai looked at his friend. "Johan..."

"Now let's stop wasting time and defeat this guy so you can prove it!"

Judai smiled, grateful someone was still on his side. His friends. They all were. And they always would be, no matter what happened. "Right!" he said with a nod.

"So you still choose to fight," Darkness said. "As you wish. I summon Blizzard Dragon." (Atk 1800)

A blue dragon with white on its underside appeared. It had spikes on its head, wings attached to its front legs, and red eyes.

"Now, Blizzard Dragon, attack his Cobalt Eagle," Darkness commanded.

The dragon opened its mouth and shot ice at the feathered beast.

"Hold on!" Johan said. "I activate my trap card, Rainbow Gravity! When I've got all seven Crystal Beasts on my field or in my graveyard, which I do, thanks to your Card Destruction, I can summon Rainbow Dragon from my deck!"

The white, serpentine dragon appeared in a burst of light, roaring as it did so. It took its place on the field before them.

"Regardless, my attack continues," Darkness said, unphased.

Blizzard Dragon's attack hit the bird dead-on, leaving no trace of him save the blue gemstone he became upon destruction.

"Next, Darkness Dragon, attack his Amethyst Cat!"

The dragon fired at the feline, destroying her with ease and leaving nothing but a purple gemstone in her place. Johan cried out in agony, dropping to his knees from the pain, as his life points fell.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 1900  
Darkness: 2400

"Meteor Dragon, destroy his Pegasus!"

Another fireball came flying at Johan's field, destroying the last of his Crystal Beasts and leaving nothing but his dragon standing.

"And now, for Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack." He turned to Judai. "Destroy his Wroughtweiler!"

Red-Eyes blasted the metal dog, wiping it off the field.

"When Wroughtweiler's destroyed, I can add one Polymerization card and one Elemental Hero in my graveyard back to my hand," Judai said, taking Polymerization and Avian from his graveyard.

"I now activate Blizzard Dragon's effect," Darkness said.

"Huh?" Johan asked, blinking. _Its effect?_

"Yes. Once per turn, this monster can prevent one opponent's monster from switching battle modes or attacking until the opponent's next end phase," Darkness said. "And the only opposing monster out is your Rainbow Dragon, Johan."

"Dang it!" Johan said.

Blizzard Dragon shot a burst of ice at Rainbow Dragon, encasing it in ice so that it couldn't move.

"Turn end," Darkness said. "Surrender! Despair! I'm sure by now you know who I am! It's natural that I should win. Like I said before we began. Two false gods can't change the fate of mankind." He pointed at Rainbow Dragon as he finished.

"He's right, pal," Johan said to Judai. "At this rate, we'll lose!"

"Don't give up just yet, Johan!" Judai said, though he only sounded somewhat more confident than Johan. "This duel's not over yet!"

"No. But it may as well be," Darkness pointed out. "Look at the field. Even your decks know how this must end."

"Tch... It's my turn," Judai said, looking at his deck. _Darkness has four monsters on the field, all dragons. Even if I manage to take out one of the weaker ones, it'll just power up his Darkness Dragon. I've gotta get rid of that thing!_

He glanced at Johan's field, thinking, _Johan's got his Rainbow Dragon out, but it can't attack, thanks to that Blizzard Dragon. And all I've got is an empty field._ He looked at his hand—Polymerization, O – Oversoul, Avian, and Burstinatrix. _I've got Polymerization, but I don't have the right cards to summon anything that would be able to beat his Darkness Dragon! It's all riding on this draw. Come on, deck, don't fail me now._

"Draw!" He looked at the card and smiled. "Alright! I knew my deck wouldn't let me down! I activate O – Oversoul to call Neos back from my graveyard!" (2500)

The white-clad hero appeared in a burst of light, glaring at Darkness as he did so.

Judai looked at Johan. "Mind if I borrow your dragon?" he asked.

"Wha—? Uh, okay," Johan said, unsure what Judai planned to do with it.

"Alright!" Judai said. "I activate Super Polymerization!"

"Super—that's the card you used to fuse yourself with Yubel!"

"You got it, Johan! But, this time, I'm fusing our monsters, not me. By discarding one card, I can fuse monsters on my field with monsters on my opponent's field. I'm fusing my Elemental Hero Neos with Johan's Rainbow Dragon to summon Rainbow Neos!" (Atk 4500)

Neos and the dragon fused, creating a new hero. He was clad in white armor with gold trim, with white and yellow wings. There were topaz stones on his wings, an amber embedded in his chest, blue stones on his knees and the top of his helmet, which also a ruby and emeralds inlaid in it and purple feathers on the sides.

"Next I summon Elemental Hero Avian. (Atk 1000) But he won't be sticking around for long! When I send one monster I control to the graveyard, my opponent has to shuffle all of his monsters back into his deck, thanks to Rainbow Neos's effect!"

"What?!" Darkness exclaimed.

Avian disappeared, and a bright light forced all of Darkness's monsters back into his deck.

Judai smirked at the creature that had caused Yubel so much pain, the one that was responsible for his lost childhood, the reason that he had to worry about the world thinking of him as a monster now. "You're wide-open, Darkness," he said. "I think it's about time we settled this, once and for all. Rainbow Neos! Attack him directly!"

A bright light appeared as the monster obeyed. Darkness screamed as his life points fell.

Judai: 1600  
Johan: 1900  
Darkness: 0

The duel was finished, but the cards didn't all vanish. Rainbow Neos split in two, bringing Neos and Rainbow Dragon back. The two monsters attacked Darkness in sync, destroying the creature. But that wasn't the end of it. A massive, shapeless shadow rose up from the ground.

"Fools!" Darkness, the shadow, said. "Did you honestly think you could defeat me!? I represent the darkness of this world! As long as there's darkness in this world, I shall live forever!"

"Darn it!" Johan cursed. "Now what do we do!? The guy's invincible!"

"I will not allow a couple of fakes to disrupt the destiny of this world. Therefore, I shall send you both to a place of eternal darkness so that, when I am fully recovered, you won't be able to interfere," Darkness said before the shadows moved to engulf them both.

_"__Judai!"_ Neos said. _"The time has come to use your power!"_

"What!?"

_"__I once told you that you had the power to control and seal the darkness, remember!? Well, now that you're in control of the card of darkness and have made its powers your own, you should be able to use it to seal Darkness's soul once and for all! Just like how the light was sucked in, Darkness is weak enough now to join it! Do it now, Judai! Seal him away!"_

Judai held the card out toward the shadow that was Darkness, activating his powers. His eyes started glowing, changing to Yubel's. The shadows were engulfing Johan when Darkness stopped, feeling something threatening.

"What!?" he demanded.

Johan looked at his friend, confused. "Judai!?"

"Not so fast!" he said. "Do you think I'm just gonna let you get away with this!? Think again! I activate the hidden power of the card of darkness! It can absorb all the world's darkness and seal it inside!"

A vortex appeared, coming from the card, and Darkness was sucked toward it.

"This can't be!" he cried. "I'm the world's future! Their savior! How can I lose to such a weak mortal!?"

"You're wrong, Darkness!" Judai said. "You can't say what mankind's destiny is because the future isn't set in stone. Each person creates their own destiny, their own future, and nobody can say for sure what that future will bring."

Darkness struggled, trying to pull away from the vortex. "No! I refuse to go down like this! I will not be defeated! NOOOOO!"

"Judai!"

"I won't let you decide our future! It's over, Darkness!" Judai exclaimed, a fierce look in his eyes. "Farewell!"

Darkness screamed in anger as he was dragged into the card, sealed forever.

"Judai! You did it!" Johan cheered.

Judai deactivated his powers, his eyes returning to their usual brown.

The sun reappeared in the sky, and people started showing up all around town, looking disoriented. Asuka and Kathleen appeared in front of the boys, looking dazed and confused.

"Kathy!" Johan exclaimed at the same time Judai said, "Asuka!" Together, they said, "You're okay!"

"J-Judai?" Asuka asked. "Johan. W-what?"

"Judai! Johan! You did it!" Kathleen exclaimed, running over to them. Johan caught her in his arms, holding her close. "I knew you'd do it! You defeated Darkness! You two saved everyone! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, dear!" Johan said. "I'm so glad you're all right!"

"So, how'd you do it?" Asuka asked. "I mean, that thing seemed unstoppable."

"Ask Judai. He stopped it," Johan said, smiling, as he pointed at his friend.

"I sealed it away," he answered simply.

"Wow! That's so cool!" Kathleen said. "How'd ya do that!?"

"I, uh, used my powers."

Asuka gasped. "Judai, you didn't!"

"What?" he asked, confused. "I didn't what?"

Johan, knowing what she was thinking, said, "No, no! You got it all wrong! He didn't use himself this time. He used the Super Polymerization card to do it! Right, pal?"

_Oh. She thought I'd sealed Darkness inside of me, _Judai thought. "Yeah," he said with a nod.

Asuka sighed. "That's a relief. So does that mean it's all over now? I mean, it's really, truly over, and we can finally get on with our lives?"

With a shrug, Judai answered, "As far as I know, yeah."

_"__Well, it better be!"_ Yubel said. _"I've had way more than enough of this!"_

"I agree," Johan said, though whether he was agreeing with Judai or Yubel, the brunette couldn't tell. "That card was meant to stop Darkness, after all."

Kathleen cheered, "Yeah! We won! We really won! I can't wait to tell the others!"

The four headed off in search of their other friends so that they could celebrate their continued existence. After all, they had all survived the end of the world. Wasn't that worth celebrating?


	17. Secret's Out

**A/N: And we're back to quicker updates! There's only a couple more chapters after this. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

After that very eventful weekend, everyone would have loved to have taken some time off. But they couldn't. They still had school come Monday.

Except for Judai—he wasn't going back there ever again, and he told his parents as much when the usual "I'm not feeling well" didn't work on Wednesday morning. That's why Wednesday afternoon found him lying around in his front yard, enjoying the sunshine.

He heard footsteps running up to him and figured school must be over. "Aniki! I did it! I knew I would, too!" Sho said.

Judai, eyes closed, grinned, thinking that meant his friend had passed his entrance exam for Duel Academy. Sitting up, he started, "Sho, that's—"

One look at his friend's face shut him up. Sho didn't look like he'd just passed a test. Rather, he looked like he had just watched his dreams go up in smoke.

"What's wrong, Sho?" Judai asked.

"I'm in Osiris Red!" he bawled.

_Is that all? I thought it was something worse, like he didn't get in at all or he'd just caused the second Armageddon,_ Judai thought.

Hayato walked over, saying, "Yeah, me, too. Might as well face it. We're never gonna be duelists."

"Aw, come on, guys! You still passed!"

"I guess," Hayato said.

"Look, you're already better off than anyone who took the test and failed, right?" Judai pointed out. "Besides, grades don't mean anything when it comes to dueling!"

He should know, after all. He was the one most likely to flunk out of school.

"If you say so," Sho said.

Hayato grinned, saying, "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Wow!" Johan said, walking over. "I'm _way_ too good! They stuck me in the Blue dorm!" He laughed, then asked, "So, how'd you two do?"

"We're both in the Red dorm...," Sho said dejectedly.

"Really?" Johan asked. "Tough luck."

"Yeah," Hayato agreed.

"But look on the bright side! At least you're in, right!?" Johan laughed.

Kathleen came running over, followed by Akiko, Jim, Misawa, Asuka, and Manjoume.

"Ah-hah!" Kathleen said. "Knew we'd find you here! So, we hear you all passed! Congrats! Me, too! Oh, Johan, this is so exciting! I wonder what it's gonna be like!"

"Thanks!" he said, starting by acknowledging her congratulations. "I know, right!? Should be fun!" He laughed, and she joined in.

"Yeah," Sho said before giving an awkward laugh.

Manjoume humphed, grinning. "Let me guess. You're all drop-outs," he said, looking at Sho and Hayato.

"Hey, come on. It's not that bad," Asuka said, smiling.

"That's right," Misawa agreed with a nod. "I mean, not just anyone can get into this school, after all. You guys being there at all means you have some potential. At least, that's how I see it."

Manjoume smirked. "Yeah, they've got potential, alright. As the three stooges of dueling, that is."

Judai cocked his head and asked, "Three stooges?"

"I rest my case," he answered, still smirking, as he gestured to the brunette.

Judai just looked at him in confusion.

"I agree," Jim said. "What with this school boasting about teaching the dueling elite, you two are better than the average."

"That's right," Akiko agreed. "It all depends on who you compare yourselves to. Stop comparing yourselves to Johan and Judai and compare yourselves with Haruko, who failed."

"Wait, she did?" Kathleen asked.

"Yeah, but it's cool. They're letting her take a retest, and I'm helping her get ready for that." Muttering, she added, "Though she'll probably still do really bad at that practical part..."

Sho and Hayato thought about that for a moment.

"I guess you're right," Sho said at last. "Okay! Now I'm one step closer! Look out, Nii-san! I'm gonna beat you someday!"

"Yeah!" Hayato cheered. "And I'll finally be able to show my dad I _can _do something! This is going to be awesome!"

"Right!"

The two pumped their fists in the air and started laughing.

"That's the spirit, guys!" Judai said.

"Yeah," Asuka agreed. "This is going to be a great year. I just hope it's not as crazy as these past few months have been."

_"__Amen to that, sister,"_ Yubel agreed. _"Me, too. Though I doubt it."_

"Aw, where's the fun in that?" Kathleen asked. "A little adventure never hurt anyone! Right, guys!?"

"Yeah, a little adventure's great. Though maybe a little less than I've had lately," Judai said, grinning.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Kathy!" Johan said. "Life around here's too boring for my liking! Now that Darkness is gone, there's nothing going on! Except Judai skipping school, that is."

As he always did when someone mentioned that place, Judai bristled. "I'm not going back there."

"Judai, it's not as bad as you think," Asuka said. "Really."

"I said, I'm not going back!"

"Judai, please. I know what you're thinking, but just hear me out, okay? Come back tomorrow. Just one more time, and, I promise you, you won't regret it, okay?"

Everyone else chose to stay out of this, deciding to let his girlfriend (at least, they thought the two were still dating) handle it. Judai didn't answer her, which they took as a good sign—normally he'd reject that suggestion immediately.

"Please, Judai?" she asked. "For me?"

Hesitantly, he said, "Okay..."

Asuka smiled and knelt down on the ground, hugging him. "It's going to be okay. You'll see."

He didn't answer her; he wasn't so sure she was right about this.

"Great!" Kathleen said. "That's the spirit! See ya tomorrow, then! Samantha and Ralph are waiting in their tree hole! Later!" She ran off.

"Don't worry, mate," Jim said. "Asuka's right. It's not that bad."

"Yeah," Akiko agreed. "Besides, if anyone gives you any trouble, just tell me, 'kay?"

"...Okay."

* * *

The next morning, Judai woke up and got ready for school. He pulled on the black pants that were part of his uniform, along with a red shirt under his black jacket.

_"__So we're really going, then?"_ Yubel asked.

"Yeah," he said uncertainly, adjusting his jacket in the mirror. He was debating fastening the thing and using the collar to hide the bandage he still wore to cover the half-healed bruises from Friday, but he decided against it.

_"__But I thought we weren't going anywhere near that place after the way they treated us!"_

Judai stared at himself in the mirror for a long moment before he responded. "I'll give it one more try."

_"__And if those creeps pull out pitchforks and torches?"_

"I-I'm sure that's not going to happen!" he said nervously. "It's a school! They aren't allowed to have those things."

_"__You know what I mean, 'Frankenstein.'"_

"If they try anything, I can count on my friends to help me get out of there."

_"__But can you handle it?"_

He hesitated. "I don't know..."

_"__Then maybe you shouldn't go. Asuka'll understand."_

"But I told her that I would..."

There was a knock at his bedroom door. "Judai?" his father called. "We need to talk."

"It's open," Judai called.

"Look, son." His father continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I know you don't want to talk about what really happened at the dance, but I think you need to, since it's kept you from school all week. Why don't you come out and talk to me?"

Judai sighed. _Another good reason why I should probably go..._

He walked over and opened the door, and his father's face lit up in surprise.

"Judai!" he said, looking at his son's outfit.

Judai looked down at his uniform, then back at his father and said, "I'm going back."

"Why, Judai. That's good to hear, my boy." He smiled. "So, why the sudden change in attitude? Just yesterday, you told us you were never going there again. But you still haven't told us why. What happened that night?"

Judai looked away.

"Come on, son," Dad said, "how can we possibly hope to understand you if we don't know what's going on?"

Still averting his gaze, he said, "I don't want to talk about it..."

"But, Judai, maybe we can help you. We were once your age, too, you know. Aside from your past with that fiend, I assure you, nothing you've been through is any different from what we went through at your age. I promise. Now tell me what happened."

Judai shook his head. "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Come on, son. Let's take this into the living room, and you can tell me what's up."

He found himself shifting his weight nervously. "I don't know... I was gonna go to school..."

"You've still got time," Dad pointed out. "School doesn't start for another forty-five minutes. And I'm sure your teachers won't care if you're a little late, anyway. After all, you're going to that duel school in only a few days, anyway. Come on, son."

Hesitantly, certain he would regret it, Judai said, "Okay..."

They headed down to the living room, and Judai was just glad his dad hadn't invited his mother into this conversation. That would probably be the only thing that could make this harder.

Once they were both seated on the couch, Dad said, "Okay. Now, tell me what happened. When you came home, you had a bandage around your neck." He eyed the bandage in question. "You said you'd gotten into a fight, but is that all? I mean, what were you fighting over and why?"

Judai took a deep breath and began, "Well, Asuka has an older brother..."

"Okay, go on..."

"Well, he..." He trailed off. _Arg, there's no real good way to do this, is there?_

_"__No," _Yubel answered.

_Thanks, but that was a rhetorical question._

_"__I know,"_ she said, grinning.

"He, uh...didn't approve of me dating his sister, so..."

"He didn't!" Dad demanded. "Let me see your neck, boy!"

Judai cringed—he'd been hiding that from them for a reason. Slowly he undid the bandage, his gaze on the floor. His father gasped.

Though the bruises weren't as bad as they had been almost a week ago, they were still there—fingerprints wrapping around his throat, showing clearly that somebody had strangled him.

"Judai..."

The teen just kept staring at the floor, as if it suddenly had some magnetizing force that drew his eyes down to it.

"So that's why you're trying to avoid him?" Dad asked. "I won't stand for it!"

He got up, startling Judai into looking up, and stormed over to the phone.

"Dad!"

He picked up the phone and started dialing a number. Judai had this sneaking suspicion it was the police, which would be the last thing he needed—the local authorities finding out his "dangerous" secret.

"Dad, that's...that's only part of the story... It's not him I'm avoiding..."

His father stopped, then put the phone back down before turning to his son. "Okay, then, go on," he said sternly.

Judai fidgeted. "Well, he was kinda egged on by his date, but she reacted to what he said, so it's kind of a never-ending cycle of blame," he said, evading the point.

"So what you're saying is they both did that to you?" Dad asked, angry.

"No, not really..." _Arg... How am I supposed to explain this!?_

"Well, boy?" Dad demanded, patience waning.

Judai lowered his gaze back to the floor. "...I..."

He could feel his father's glare even though he couldn't see it. "What did you do, Judai?"

The boy cringed.

"Judai?" Dad said, his tone indicating that Judai was in serious trouble if he didn't explain pretty quickly.

"I..." He took a deep breath, then said quickly, "Okay, so, when I went to confront Yubel, she got taken over by an evil force and put another bomb on me. She also gave me a card—Yubel—so that she'd always be with me and know if I was doing something she didn't want me to. But it wasn't her, it was the evil that was controlling her! Anyway, a spirit named Neos told me that she wasn't in her right mind and that only I could save her, but I had to win 100 duels to complete a ritual for a card that could potentially warp my mind if I touched it before it was completed. That's why I entered that tournament, but two of my friends went and got caught by Yubel, and she blamed me because I'd made them worry so some of them found out and told the others, and then Yubel made me go back to her castle and gave me that card, which wasn't finished yet and she'd stolen, and we wound up dueling."

He stopped for a breath. His father just stood there, stunned speechless.

"Anyway, I activated that card and...and fused my soul with Yubel's!" he said, eyes closed during the last part, which was barely intelligible because of how fast he said it.

His dad took a moment to try to figure that out before looking at him questioningly.

Staring at the floor, Judai stammered, "Th...that's why Johan came and told you I was dead...because...I guess the fusion...destroyed my and Yubel's bodies...and put us together in a new one..." He looked up at his father. "Dad, I'm part duel spirit..."

The man gaped at his son. "W-what...?"

Judai couldn't stand that look—it was the start of his issues with his parents, he was sure. He looked down again as he went on. "Asuka's brother was there when I told my friends about this... He had followed Asuka because he was worried about her...so he started saying I was an alien, then he changed it to monster later..."

Dad just stared at him for a moment. Then, quietly, he said, "Judai..."

"That's what he told his date, who was Asuka's friend...that I was a monster... She got involved, saying that Asuka's brother would protect her... She thought I'd put some sort of spell on Asuka...and Fubuki believed her...so he did what he thought he had to do..."

The silent staring from his father wasn't reassuring.

Judai pressed on, anyway, finishing, "Then everyone else at the dance reacted...and they weren't sure what to think... Though they all came to the conclusion that Fubuki might have been right..."

More silence, more staring.

_"__You do realize that you just told _another_ human what you are, right?"_ Yubel said. _"Part _duel spirit_? Not in a card or owned by anyone, as in your _wild_? Was this really a good idea?"_

_There wasn't any other option...,_ Judai pointed out, his head still down to hide the tears threatening to fall.

_"__I'm just saying," _Yubel said gently. _"Brace yourself, kid. This isn't going to be pretty."_

Once he had recovered from the shock, the man walked over to the couch and sat down beside his son, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"It's all right, my boy," he said comfortingly. "I understand."

Judai looked up slightly, his eyes bright with unshed tears. "Y-you do...?"

"Well, not entirely, but I can imagine. You've become something most people fear and others despise. I can understand not wanting to go anywhere near them for fear of what might happen. If you want, we can move to the mountains where they'll leave you alone."

"No," Judai said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Asuka's the one who convinced me to go back to school... She told me it's not as bad as I think it is..."

"Really, Judai?" Dad asked, stunned.

He nodded. "I told her...I'd go back... I'm not sure what's waiting for me there, but..."

"You're a brave boy, my son. Good luck." He put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Thanks," Judai said. He hugged his father, grateful that he was willing to accept this, especially considering how most people felt about duel spirits.

Dad hugged him back for a moment before pulling back and saying, "But, uh, let's keep this one our little secret. I doubt your mother can handle it, okay?" _After all, Judai being a "monster" in the eyes of everyone else could easily worry Hikari to death as she desperately tried to protect him._

He could just see it now: His wife standing in front of an angry mob, blocking Judai from their sights and declaring fiercely, "No one is laying a finger on my special child!" No. No, it would be best if they didn't tell her.

"Okay," Judai said, not sure how he should take that. _There could be a lot of reasons not to tell Mom...like she'd worry herself to death. Or that she would be afraid of me... I'm just gonna go with it would worry her to death._

"Well, anyway, son, if you're going, you should get on your way." Dad looked at his watch and added with a grin, "You've got less than twenty minutes before it starts."

"Aw, dang it!" Judai cried, jumping up and running for the door, redoing the bandage as he went.

_"__You're gonna get in trouble with Cronos again,"_ Yubel teased.

_Hey, by this point, he should just be glad I'm coming at all! _Judai pointed out. After all, he'd skipped three days in a row.


	18. Back to School

**A/N: There's only one chapter left after this. This time, it's actually the end. But I'm working on a spin-off of "Sea Sick" for anyone who's wondering what Haruko's missing for O'Brien is! Anyway, enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

"I can't believe you did that!" Kathleen said, stunned.

Akiko had just told a classmate of theirs, who was crying, to grow up. One of the many things she did that made Kathleen think she was heartless.

"So his dad took away his car," Akiko said. "Big deal! I don't even _have_ a car! What's he crying about?"

"But it was a present from his uncle! You don't just take that kinda stuff away for a few measly speeding tickets! He's still new at it, is all!"

The others, minus Sho and O'Brien, were in the classroom paying varying degrees of attention. O'Brien was out in the hallway, standing next to the locker dubbed "Sho's Hiding Locker" and waiting for the coast to be clear to let the small coward out. Manjoume was talking to Haruko, wondering why Akiko and Kathleen were friends in the first place. Amon was staring passed them, a lame look on his face. Misawa was reading his algebra book again, deeming that more interesting. Hayato watched the girls, sweating slightly. Asuka was watching the door intently, waiting for Judai to show up. Johan and Jim were the only two giving their girlfriends their full attention. You know, in case they had to intervene somehow.

Johan, standing next to Jim's desk, asked his friend, "Why do they have to do this every Thursday?"

"I don't know," Jim answered, shaking his head.

"If he's new at it, he should be using his head and going slower," Akiko told Kathleen. "You know, being more careful? I see where the parents are coming from. They don't want him getting into an accident because he was driving too fast. Not to mention they have to pay those tickets. I mean, he doesn't have any money."

"Yeah, but still—" Kathleen started.

They heard skidding out in the hallway, and the sound stopped right in front of the door to their classroom. When it opened, Judai was standing there.

"Hey," a girl said, turning, "isn't that..."

The rest of the class stopped everything and turned, staring at him in complete silence. He just stood there, tense, ready for the worst. His classmates took one look at his expression, fearful and suspicious, looking like he might run off at any moment, just like that night at the dance. They all turned away and carried on with their conversations.

"Judai," Asuka said. "Glad you came."

He relaxed slightly and walked over, saying, "Well, I said I would, didn't I?"

"Well, it's great to see you, then," Johan said. "Now you can help O'Brien with Sho again. You know where to look." He grinned, hitching a thumb toward the hallway.

"Now what?"

"What do you think?" Amon asked.

Mumbling, Manjoume said, "Every time. Seriously, do they plan it?"

To Amon's question, Judai said, "I don't know... What was Akiko insensitive about this time? Or was it something Kathleen said or did?"

"Hey. Who ever said it was _my_ fault!?" Kathleen demanded. "Aki's the one with no heart!"

"No heart!?" Akiko fumed. "Why, you little...!"

Judai sweat. "That answers my question."

Johan shrugged and said, "What do you expect? It is Thursday, after all."

"They're not gonna do this at Duel Academy, too, are they?" Hayato asked.

Another boy stormed into the classroom at that moment, complaining as he walked up to his friends, "That guy is such a weirdo!"

"Huh?" Judai turned.

One of his friends laughed and asked, "Aw, what's wrong? Fubuki giving another dumb speech about making peace with wild duel spirits?"

The first boy crossed his arms. "I swear, first he says all his sister's friends are aliens, then he tells us her boyfriend's a monster, which may be true, though I hope not. Now he's saying that duel spirits are good? What's wrong with that dude?" The part about it possibly being true that Judai's a monster was mumbled, as if he didn't want it to be heard.

"I don't know, but he really needs to come down to Earth."

"Yeah, no kidding."

The two laughed. Judai shifted, feeling that maybe he should leave before someone _did_ attack him.

Catching his friend's expression, Johan said, "Aw, don't worry too much, pal. At least he's trying to make amends."

Judai didn't answer—his attention was still focused on those two classmates of his.

"It's okay, Judai," Asuka said. "They don't really mean it."

There was the sound of laughter in the hallway, followed by a male voice saying, "Yeah, right! So the next time I'm being chased by a Summoned Skull, I'll just turn around and hug it!"

"I'm telling the truth this time!" Fubuki said over the laughter. "Duel monster spirits are more afraid of us than we are of them! Stop laughing already!"

The laughter continued. Judai narrowed his eyes slightly.

Asuka looked toward the doorway and said, "Yeah, I probably should've mentioned that... See, he's trying to convince the school not to fear wild duel spirits, but, as you can tell, it's clearly not going too well... But they're not afraid of you anymore!" she added reassuringly, looking back to Judai.

"Yeah...," he said hesitantly, thinking about his classmate's comment about how he might be a monster but the guy "hopes not."

"Uh, excuse me," a hesitant voice said from behind him, "but is it true?"

Judai turned to see a nervous girl, her expression saying that she thought talking to him like this was a bad idea.

"Is what true?" he asked, clearly upset about her asking—he was sure he knew, after all, what her answer would be.

"Oh!" She started. "Uh, you know. That thing...about you...and the spirit...being one?"

Judai looked at her for a moment, taking in the fear, before asking, "Why does it matter to you?"

"So, that's a yes, then?" she asked even more cautiously—probably afraid to make him mad, he decided.

"I'm not saying. I don't see why it should matter to you, anyway. Have I ever done anything to hurt you?"

"N-no..."

"Then let me worry about what I am and you worry about what _you_ are," he said, turning away.

The meaning behind those words was clear: You're a jerk. And the girl knew that's what he meant, too. She just stood there, staring.

Akiko glared at her. "Is there something else you need?" she asked dangerously.

"I'm sorry," the girl said before walking off to rejoin her friends on the other side of the classroom.

_Yeah, she's sorry, alright...,_ Judai thought. _Sorry she asked, I bet._

"See, Judai?" Asuka said, trying to ease the tension. "They're not scared of you. They feel sorry for you."

Judai was quiet for a moment, thinking about that girl's expression. Finally, his tone neutral, he said, "Yeah, sure."

"So, you gonna be okay?" Hayato asked.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," he answered.

"Hey, you," a boy said. Judai looked and recognized Adam, the kid who'd given him his seat when he transferred in. He'd know that crazy green hair anywhere. "Mr. Hulk. You _can_ control yourself, right? I mean, have you managed to tame that wild animal of yours yet? Or is that impossible?"

_"__That son of a—" _Yubel started.

Judai stared at his classmate for a moment. Finally, he said, "I'm going home."

As he headed for the door, Adam humphed behind him. "That's what I thought."

_"__Judai!"_ Yubel protested. _"You can't let them talk about me like that!"_

Judai stopped and just stood there. Without turning, he said, "The only wild animal I see around here is you."

"What'd you say!?" Adam demanded.

"Your tongue," Judai said, glancing back at him over his shoulder. "It's running wild. You might wanna do something about that."

"Hey! Better a human tongue than an evil monster spirit!"

"Duel spirits... You're so sure they're evil?"

"Yeah!" a girl answered. "My mom was killed by one years ago!"

"That's right!" a boy said. "And one ate my dog!"

Another boy added, "I hear one kidnapped someone and made them their slave for the rest of their lives! Of course, they're evil! What do you think!?"

Judai stood there another moment before slowly turning to face his classmates. "I think I've heard a lot of horror stories about humans. Parents abandoning, abusing, neglecting their kids; people getting bullied to death; Spanish Inquisition and the witch hunts of the Middle Ages... And I've got my fair share of personal experience, too," he added, putting a hand on his neck. "Does that make humans evil?"

Nobody said anything—they weren't sure what to say.

When nobody spoke, he asked, "What? No answer? I thought you were the good guys. Never hurting the innocent, always treating everyone fairly. I mean, Sho's a perfect example of how you treat everyone justly. I'm a perfect example." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

The class just stared at him. It was true that many of them had bullied Sho at one time or other, and the events of last Friday were still fresh in everyone's minds.

"That's what I thought," Judai said to their silence. He turned toward the door, adding, "Let me know when you come up with a defense."

He started toward the door. A girl hesitantly said, "Well..."

The brunette stopped, glancing back. "Well...?

The girl looked away, thinking about it. _He's got a point..._

After another moment, he said, "If you don't have anything to say, I'm getting out of here before Cronos shows up." _After all, if _he_ sees me here, I'm not getting out until after school's over._

Unfortunately, he got to the door about a second too late—Cronos stepped into the doorway just as Judai reached it. They both stopped, staring at each other.

"Pinch me," the teacher said after a moment. "I'm seeing things. So, to what do we owe this little surprise, 'Drop-Out Boy?'"

From his words, Judai could guess he'd been given a new nickname. "Uh...I wasn't staying..." Silently, he thought, _Maybe I can work in some sort of health angle? I mean, I've still got the bandage, after all. I could always say that I shouldn't even be here, or that I just came to get the work I've been missing._

"Of course not!" Cronos said. "After all, why stay in school? You must maintain your image as a Drop-Out Boy, am I correct?"

The class started laughing.

"I'll see you in class at Duel Academy, and I'll be taking notes," Judai said out of spite. "I just...have my reasons for avoiding this school. I'd like to live to see my next birthday, for one."

That had the desired results—his classmates stopped laughing.

"Oh, come on! Now you sound like Sho!" Turning toward the hallway, the blond man called, "Hey! Signor Sho! I found your long-lost twin brother! Why not come over here and say hi?"

"Wha!?" Sho's voice came from somewhere out in the hallway.

Again, the class laughed.

Judai was not in the mood for this. At all. He had come to school, trusting Asuka when she said that it wasn't as bad as he thought, and he had quickly learned that it _was_ as bad as he thought. Even though they weren't attacking him physically, they were still afraid of him. And now Cronos was making fun of him and Sho at the same time? When _he_ at least had a legitimate reason to avoid school!?

"Want to see what I mean, Sensei?" the brunette asked, undoing the bandage. The class stopped laughing. "This happened at a _school_ event. That stupid dance."

Cronos gasped, looking at the yellow bruises on his student's neck. "Surely you can't be serious! Is this some sort of sick joke or something!? I mean, I was there, and I never saw anything like _that_ happen!"

_Oh, so there _were_ teacher chaperones?_ Judai thought bitterly. Aloud, he said, "Yeah, right, so I had someone strangle me so that I could play some sick joke on you. No, Sensei, I've got plenty of people who could back me up on this one."

"He's right, Sensei," Johan said. "Fubuki Tenjoin attacked him for being a monster, and now he's got the whole school scared of him."

Asuka quickly amended, "What he means by that is they're not sure if he can control some imaginary powers they all seem to think he has! Right, guys!?" She turned to the rest.

"Right," Jim nodded.

"Yeah, and the worst part is they all believed a guy who said a few days earlier that we're all aliens," Akiko added. "I mean, clearly Tenjoin's just nuts, but they all bought it, hook, line, and sinker."

Some girl muttered, "But that one kinda makes sense..."

"Yeah, just like the rumors about Jim dating Karen kinda made sense," Haruko said. "But they were clearly wrong! Jim's dating Akiko, not Karen the crocodile! Honestly, when will you people learn?"

"But...he just said that—"

"That's enough!" Asuka snapped. "Why don't you people just leave him alone already!? Honestly. I thought you'd all learned your lesson that night at the dance," she said, arms crossed.

Fortunately, Momoe and Junko weren't involved on either side, for which their blond friend was grateful. At least they weren't upsetting Judai, like everyone else was.

"We did, but—"

"Asuka." She turned to her boyfriend as he continued, "Do me a favor. Never tell me things aren't as bad as I think again. It'll save us both a lot of disappointment and pain."

The class was silent, with most of them looking down.

"Oh!" Cronos said. "Oh, my. Now calm down, son. Everything's okay."

Judai just stared at the floor as he wrapped the bandage around his neck again.

"Sorry, dude," one of the boys said, sympathetic. "It's just..."

"Save it. I don't want or need your pity. Not when you'll turn around and start acting like I'm some dangerous monster in a few minutes."

"But it's not you!" a girl protested. "It's your other half! We're just not sure what _it_ will do, that's all!"

_"__If they keep that up, I'm gonna..._

Judai just stared at the floor for a moment, his hair hiding his eyes. "'My other half'... I'm in charge here," he said at last, not lifting his head. "Besides, what would you say if I told you 'my other half' felt the same way about you as you do about duel spirits? That you're dangerous and evil?"

"W-what!?"

Eyes closed, he lifted his head and continued, "I've got to say, this 'other half' of mine can make some pretty good arguments...about parents abandoning their kids, kids being raised by uncaring and cold people, strangers hurting those who go to them in dire need of help..."

_"__Stop telling those little bastards my life story!"_ Yubel snapped. _"They don't need to know it!"_

Again, the class was silent.

One green-eyed girl bravely (or stupidly, depending on who you asked) stepped up and, glaring, said, "Okay, you're starting to sound like that nutcase now. Why should we believe a word you're saying? How do we know you're not just saying that to try to trick us, well?"

"Signora Mitzi!" Cronos exclaimed. "I can't believe you said that! What's gotten into you!?"

"How do I know you aren't just saying you're sorry or you're just worried about 'my other half?'" Judai countered. "I don't. I mean, it's possible that _you're_ just trying to trick _me,_ lure me into a false sense of security so you can kill me later. Clearly it worked on some of my friends, at least."

Asuka looked at him sadly. "Judai..."

Once again, he managed to silence the class. He was making sense, after all, they couldn't deny that.

Turning back to the teacher, Judai smile sweetly and said, "Sensei, can I please leave? The doctor said I'm supposed to take it easy, so I don't think he'd approve of all this."

Granted, that probably didn't apply anymore, but the boy just wanted to make it brutally clear what sort of damage had been done to him at that dance.

"But, Judai!" his girlfriend protested.

"Forget it, Asuka. I came back, like I said I would, and I'm quickly starting to regret it. I can say, with absolute certainty, that you'll never get me to walk through the doors of this school ever again after today."

She slumped. "Judai..."

He turned back to Cronos. "So? Can I go?"

Not sure what else to say, the teacher said, "Uh, sure, I guess..."

_Never_, in all his years as a teacher, had Cronos heard of a student having an attempt on his life made at a school event. This was insane! What was the world coming to!? And what was he supposed to do about this sort of thing!? Students shouldn't be able to get away with attacking each other, but he couldn't call the police on Fubuki without telling them that the older boy had thought he was protecting his sister from a monster, which would get Fubuki a free pass. Expulsion, the most fitting punishment for something of this sort, would be unfair for the same reason—he thought he was attacking a monster. No, Cronos was at a loss for what to do here.

Judai nodded and started for the door again.

"Wait!" a girl called.

He looked back at her and asked, "Why?"

"You have a point," she admitted. "I mean, what do we know, right? For all we know, those big, scary monsters only act big and scary 'cause they're lonely or something."

"T-that's right!" Adam agreed. "Like that cute, helpless fairy I saw once! She sure didn't look dangerous! I mean, she was trembling right before she ran away..."

"I saw one, too!" another boy recalled. "He was a wolfman who grabbed a branch and held it up menacingly but never actually threw it! ...I think." He muttered, "I mean, I kinda ran away right after that..."

"What!?" Mitzi asked, "You serious!?"

"So, as you can see," Junko said as she stood, finally getting involved, "there's clearly a lot we just don't understand. So, perhaps you could teach us. Then we'd know the truth, and may be able to do something about it."

The class nodded, Momoe included as she got to her feet.

_"__A-are they serious!?"_ Yubel asked, shocked.

Judai was just as stunned as she was, especially since Asuka's friends had agreed. "The main thing you need to know is that duel spirits aren't inherently dangerous. They're defensive because they fear humans. They've been wronged by humans in the past, so they feel that humans are evil, which colors what they see when they look at humanity. They see only the negative because that's all they ever look for."

The class stared, stunned.

"I-is that really true!?" Cronos asked.

"I have a confession," Judai sighed. "I was...lost in the woods as a kid. The whole 'never been to school' thing is because a duel spirit found me and took me as her pet. That's when I learned about their view of things...and she's learning more about humans as we speak. Everything I tell you, I heard from her and those that were around her."

"What!?"

"Wha!?"

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah. Seriously."

"N-now hold on!" Cronos said. "What do mean you're a monster's pet!? Then what are you doing here!? Did your master send you here for some reason!?"

"I escaped, then later, she let me go," he answered simply.

"So, then, if it let you go, how's it learning about us as we speak!? Are you _its_ master now!?"

"How do you know _she's_ learning here?" Judai asked, emphasizing her gender. "Maybe she's doing her research somewhere else?"

Cronos thought about that for a second. Then, seemingly accepting it, he asked hopefully, "And what does she think so far?"

"So far? I think she's speechless. In a good way."

"Really? Is that so?" the teacher asked, smiling nervously. Yep, this was definitely the strangest thing that had ever happened in his classroom. "Well, then. I'm sure we've all learned a very valuable lesson here today. Never judge a book by its cover! Even if that book just so happens to be a 30-foot ogre with wings and claws. Now, if everyone's settled down, I'll go inform Signor O'Brien out there that he can bring Signor Sho in for class now."

Most of the students nodded and headed for their seats.

Asuka looked at Judai. "Judai?"

The whole class looked at him with anticipation when he didn't answer right away. Even Cronos seemed anxious to know what he was planning on doing. After a moment, the brunette walked over to his desk and took his seat.

"Very good," Cronos said. "Now, then." He headed out to get Sho and O'Brien.

Judai's classmates smiled at him, then looked back to the front of the room. Asuka smiled, relieved that their class understood, if nothing else. Now, maybe, they could help convince the rest of the school so Judai wouldn't have to go through that again.

"Hey, nice speech, pal," Hayato said to his friend, smiling. "You really got through to them this time!"

Judai smiled back. "Thanks. I hope so."

* * *

Come lunch, their classmates started going around telling everyone what had happened in their classroom that morning. Asuka saw this and headed out to get Judai, who had decided he'd stay in the classroom for lunch break. She dragged him into the cafeteria against his will, and he was surprised to see and hear what was going on. He actually heard somebody tell an upperclassman that he was going to give the idea of making friends with wild duel spirits a try, like Fubuki was saying they should.

"Judai, I'm so proud of you," she said. "You handled that way better this time, and look. They aren't as scared of you anymore."

"Yeah," he said.

"I have to admit, I was worried for a bit there, though. They had you so upset, after all."

"Well, _I'm_ surprised that Aki here wasn't sharpening her _teeth_!" Kathleen exclaimed, eyes wide. "I mean, she looked about ready to."

"Please," she said. "I don't need to sharpen my teeth. Human teeth are designed not only to be able to chew plants but also to tear meat."

Kathleen shirked away from her a bit. "...Okay, then..."

"Well, I for one am glad Aniki didn't leave," Sho said. "It's lonely here without him."

"Hey! What about me?" Hayato asked.

"Don't be offended, Hayato," Haruko said. "He left out everyone. Besides, I still like having you around!"

Akiko stared, slightly stunned that her friend was telling a guy that she liked having him around and there was _no flirting_ involved.

"I agree with Sho, actually," Manjoume said. "Who else am I gonna fight with? No offense, dear, but spending time making fun of him's just too much fun." He smirked.

"That's mean, Jun," the orange-eyed girl said to her boyfriend, smiling.

Still smirking, he shrugged. "What can I say?"

"And that's proof positive that he likes you, too," Johan told Judai, grinning.

The brunette laughed a bit.

Fubuki walked over to the gang, saying, "Okay, what gives? This morning everyone was calling me crazy, and now..." He paused, seeing Judai, then smiled and asked, "Judai? Are you responsible for this?"

He grinned. "Yeah. You could say that."

"Well, way to go, pal!" the older boy congratulated. "I've been trying to get them to do that all week! What'd you do that made such a difference?"

"Brought up things like witch burnings and this past Friday."

Fubuki eyed the bandage around the younger brunette's neck and rubbed the back of his head, saying, "Right, sorry about that..."

"Wait, you were serious!?" Asuka asked.

Judai grinned at Fubuki and asked, "I thought we did this already?"

"Really? And how'd that go?" She looked at Judai in disbelief.

He sweat, answering, "Well, he had to come around to my window to get me to talk to him..."

Fubuki sweat, too. _Yeah... Good thing it was a first-floor window._

The girl turned to her brother and asked, "So, you were serious when you said you'd talked to Judai?"

"I told you, didn't I, sis? We're okay now." He turned to Judai and asked, "Right, pal?"

"Don't call me 'pal,'" Judai answered. "Last I checked, you still didn't trust me, and the feeling was mutual."

Fubuki sweat. "Right... Uh, about that..."

"Forget it," Asuka said. "_That_ part I get. And, for the thousandth time, I don't need you to watch out for me! I can take care of myself, okay!?"

"But, sis!"

She started blushing, embarrassed. "Nii-san! Get out of here!"

"Now _that's_ the Asuka I remember! Glad to see you're not mad anymore! So does this mean you're coming home soon?"

"Go away and I'll think about it!"

"Good enough for me! See you at dinner!" he said, walking off.

Asuka put a hand to her head. "Arg. I swear, he's adopted."

Judai just laughed.

"Well, look on the bright side, at least you're not twins," Kathleen pointed out.

"Oh, heaven forbid," Asuka said, shuddering at the thought.

"Hey, Mister Yuki?" a boy asked, coming up to the group. "Got a minute?"

"Huh? Uh, sure."

The next thing he knew, he had gotten roped into teaching the entire school the truth about himself and all of the wild duel spirits out there. Which meant he finally had to admit that he actually _was_ half duel spirit.

And, much to Judai's and Yubel's surprise, nobody seemed to care about this fact. That, at least, was a welcome outcome.

_Guess Asuka was right,_ he thought. _It's not as bad as I was thinking._


	19. The Aftermath

**A/N: And here's the final chapter of this trilogy. Enjoy! We don't own Yugioh GX.**

* * *

After that day, the kids from that high school started befriending wild duel spirits. Word got around about this, making the other people in the city wonder about the monsters and follow the kids' lead. Eventually the news started spreading to other towns, and even other countries. Before Judai and the others had even left for Duel Academy, Yubel's kingdom had dissolved, the monsters no longer feeling the need to hide and protect themselves from the humans nearby.

* * *

The morning Judai was supposed to leave for Duel Academy finally arrived. He was doing a final check to make sure he had everything he needed before heading down to the pier to board the ship.

_"__I still can't believe it,"_ Yubel said suddenly.

"What, exactly?" he asked.

_"__That my people and your people are starting to live in harmony. I never thought I'd see the day, and it's all thanks to you, too. If you hadn't gone to school that day and gave all those speeches, this wouldn't be happening right now. You really are a hero."_

He smiled and laughed slightly.

_"__Man,"_ she went on. _"Did that monster ever mess up by turning me into a duel spirit. Not only did that cause his own downfall, but it brought peace to both worlds, too. Now I'm kinda proud of who I am. And what I am, of course." _She smiled.

He grinned. "Glad to hear it. I mean, it's good to know you've come to terms with your death," he teased, remembering what she had said about being a ghost that was possessing him.

Yubel shrugged. _"If it leads to this, then, yeah. What, you still not happy about what it's done to you or something?"_

"Nah, I'm fine with it. Just kidding around."

_"__Good to hear. 'Cause just a week ago, you hated yourself," _she reminded him._ "Well, you'd better get going before you miss your ride."_

"Yeah, I know," he said, grabbing his bag and heading out.

* * *

Judai met his parents in the entrance hall. They had wanted to go with him to meet the boat, but he had insisted that wasn't necessary, so this was where they'd be saying their goodbyes.

"So, this is it, huh?" his dad asked.

"It's hard to believe that you're leaving again so soon," Mom added. "I mean, we just got you back not long ago, and now..." A single tear ran down her cheek.

"Aw, come on," Judai said, putting his bag down and hugging her. "I'll be back for breaks."

Mom hugged him back, saying, "I know, son. It's just..."

"Well, we missed your whole childhood," Dad continued. "Now we're gonna miss most of your teens, too! It's just hard to let you go off on your own already, that's all. But I'm sure you'll do fine. You're reading and writing at an eighth grade level now, after all!" He laughed.

Judai blushed slightly.

Patting his son's back, Dad said, "Well, you better get a move on, then. We're so proud of you, son." He whispered in his ear, "By the way, I changed my mind and told your mother all about that whole part duel monster thing. So you can tell her anything that happens from now on, okay?"

"Was that a good idea?" Judai whispered back.

Slightly louder, Dad said, "Well, she didn't faint, so..." He laughed.

"Kenta!" Mom said, somewhat insulted.

"Sorry, hon, my bad."

"Well, anyway, good luck out there," she said with a smile as she turned back to the teen. "We love you, my son. Now go make us proud."

"Thanks. I will," he said before grabbing his stuff and running off.

* * *

"Wow," Kathleen said, looking around the pier. "Look at all the people. This is gonna be great! Think about it! A special school just crawling with duelists! Can you just imagine all the fun adventures we're gonna have!?" she asked Johan.

She was wearing the Obelisk Blue girls' uniform—short blue skirt and a white vest over a sleeveless gray turtleneck.

"I know," he answered. "I can't wait!"

Johan's uniform was a bit different than most Obelisk uniforms—he'd modified it. He was wearing a short blue vest over his old lavender shirt.

"Oh, Johan! This is so exciting! And to think. We may not even be here today if not for that day in the woods! I mean, I was going to become a ranger like my dad back then!" She laughed.

Rubbing the back of his head, he said, "That was an interesting day, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, for sure! I mean, thanks to that, not only did I get to see the city, but because you believed in him, I got to get to know Judai, too! Now I've got a ton of friends! How can I ever thank you? You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

"I can think of one thing." He smiled, then leaned down and kissed her.

She joined in just as Akiko and Jim arrived, along with Karen, of course. Akiko was wearing the girls' uniform, like Kathleen, but Jim didn't seem to _have_ a uniform—he was dressed in a white shirt and black pants with a black vest and orange bandanna, just like any non-school day.

Karen growled, thinking the kissing couple was cute.

Akiko put a hand on her hip and said, "Gotta say, between them and Haru and Manjoume, I'm getting waaay more used to seeing people making out everywhere I go." To the couple, she added, "By the way, Haru passed that retake. I mean, in case you care at all, lovebirds."

Engrossed in their kiss, they didn't even hear her. Someone did, though.

"I know," Manjoume said, walking over with a smile on his face, holding the hand of the girl in question. He was dressed in an Obelisk Blue uniform—a long blue coat. He word black pants and boots as well.

"I'm going to Duel Academy!" Haruko chimed. Her uniform had been modified—she'd made the skirt knee-length and flowing rather than tight, and she had put a ribbon on the side of it.

"And what, pray tell, are you going to do _after_ high school?" Akiko asked.

The not-duelist stood there for a moment, then sweat. "Haven't gotten there yet."

Akiko sighed. "Well, you've got some time yet..."

"Well, I know what _I'm_ gonna do!" Manjoume said. "Become the next King of Games and a pro wrestler all at the same time!" Muttering, he added, "Should be fun..."

"I don't care about the pro wrestler bit, but you'll have to compete with me for the title King of Games!"

They turned to see Judai standing there in his red jacket, a huge grin on his face.

"Ha! I could beat you in my sleep with one hand tied behind my back!" Manjoume declared, smirking.

"In your dreams!"

"Oh, it's on now!"

"Any time, Manjoume!"

And with that, Judai got himself a dueling rival.

"Aniki! Hey!" Sho called, running over with Hayato, Ryo, Fubuki, and Asuka.

Sho and Hayato were also wearing Osiris Red uniforms, but Hayato's was a white jacket with red trim. Ryo and Fubuki wore white versions of the Obelisk uniforms, with Ryo's having coattails. Asuka was in the same uniform as Akiko and Kathleen.

"Hey, Sho! Hey, Asuka!" Judai said.

"What? Did you forget about me?" Hayato asked, smiling.

"Not for a second, big guy!"

"Don't tell me _you're _gonna start the public make-out sessions next?" Akiko asked, hitching a thumb at Johan and Kathleen to make her point.

"No way!" he said, blushing.

"So, you ready, then?" Asuka asked. "Today's the day, after all."

"Well, I don't know about him, but I'm nervous," Sho said. "What if everyone picks on me 'cause I'm weak?"

"That's a distinct possibility," Misawa said, walking over in a yellow jacket.

"Misawa!" Sho said, turning.

"Yeah, but you've got Judai and the rest of us to help you out there, Sho," Akiko pointed out. "Don't worry about it."

"While that might be true, I say you should just try your best, no matter what happens. Like Judai here," Misawa said. Turning to Judai, he lightly teased, "How's that writing coming along, but the way?"

"Uh...heh... It's getting better..."

"Yeah, and so's his math and science, right?" his girlfriend teased as well.

He blushed.

"So, is everyone ready, then?" Amon asked, walking over with O'Brien.

Amon wore a brown and white shirt, white pants, and a green cloak. O'Brien was dressed in a red shirt, gray pants, and a black vest. His duel disk was in a holster on his side.

Kathleen and Johan pulled apart, the red-head saying, "I think so."

"Ah!" Akiko said. "They _do_ need air!"

The couple blushed, looking off to the side away from each other.

"Well, I guess," Sho said, answering Amon.

"With an attitude like that, maybe you shouldn't go, Sho," his brother told him.

"No, I'm going! And I'm gonna get better, just like Aniki!"

"I hope so."

"So, Judai, you been taking good care of my sister?" Fubuki asked. "You remember that I'll kill you if you aren't."

"Nii-san!"

"Oh, I remember, alright." Judai rubbed his neck, which no longer had a bandage. The faint yellow markings were all that remained of that incident. "The bruises from last time you thought I wasn't _still_ haven't totally healed," he teased.

"Yeah...right..."

"Honestly, Fubuki, you have to stop doing that," Ryo said. "Asuka can take care of herself, after all."

"Thank you, Ryo. Glad to see some of you know that."

"Judai-sama!" a familiar and surprising voice called. "There you are!"

He turned to see Rei running over.

"Rei! Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you..."

He trailed off, finally looking at her outfit. A red vest? That distinctly looked like a Duel Academy uniform? Wasn't she in elementary school? And why red? The other girls were all in blue!

"Why are you wearing a red vest?" he asked, getting a bad feeling.

"Duh, silly! 'Cause I heard you're in red, so, after pulling some strings, I managed to not only get into the school, but I'm in the red dorm, too! Isn't that great?" She smiled.

"I'm sorry," Asuka said. "Who is she? Was this the girl you went on a pity date with, Judai?"

Sweating, he answered, "Yeah, and I haven't had the chance to tell her..."

"Huh? Tell me what?"

"Uh, well... Rei, I..." He looked at Asuka for a second, then back to Rei. "I'm...not really..."

"What he's trying to say is he already has a girlfriend, right, hon?" Asuka helped him out, hooking his arm with hers.

"Uh, yeah." He rubbed the back of his head, saying, "Sorry. I tried to tell you last time..."

"Aw, it's okay, Judai-sama. I hear relationships only last for a month or two. So I'll wait til then." She smiled, then said, "See you later, Judai-sama!" After that, she ran off. Whether she was going to Duel Academy or not was a mystery for them.

Asuka humphed. "In her dreams," she said, leaning her head on Judai's shoulder.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. _I sure hope Rei's wrong about relationships,_ he thought.

"Aw, aren't you two cute," Johan said, grinning. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go on. Do it."

Everyone else gathered around as well, hoping that they could encourage him to actually kiss her—he hadn't even tried since the dance.

"Uh...seriously?" Judai asked, looking around.

Asuka blushed. "Guys..."

"Well? I thought you two loved each other? So what's the problem? We won't tell, right, guys?"

"Right," Jim agreed.

"I don't have to swear it in blood, do I?" Haruko asked.

"Probably not," Akiko said. "After all, Judai _is_ a five-year-old... He's not gonna."

"Y'know, I'm getting real tired of that...," he said.

_"__Really, 'sweetie?'"_ Yubel asked in a motherly tone. _"So does that mean you wanna sleep in your own room with the lights out now?"_

_Funny, Yubel._

"I promise!" Sho said. "I don't really care, anyway. You guys are perfect for each other."

Fubuki grinned. "Well, as your brother, I'm obligated to tell Mom and Dad, but other than that..."

Still blushing, Asuka said, "Nii-san..."

"Go on," Ryo said. "We'll keep the crowd away."

Their friends were all watching anxiously, waiting to see what Judai would do. He looked at Asuka.

"Judai..."

She was torn. On the one hand, they had a large audience. On the other, he'd been acting like he'd never kiss her again ever since her brother's stupid attack that night. She felt like she was going to faint, but she wanted him to do it. She wanted him to get over the damage her brother had caused.

After what felt like an eternity, he pulled her closer, hesitantly, leaning in for a kiss. Asuka was shocked for a moment when their lips met, but she recovered quickly and joined him.

"H-he did it...," Fubuki said.

Ryo smiled. _Looks like Fubuki's damage is just about repaired._

Judai and Asuka got lost in the kiss, and it got deeper.

"Looks like he's finally over his fears," Johan said.

"Yup! Sure looks like it!" Kathleen agreed, smiling.

"Say, Haru?" Manjoume asked. "That give you any ideas?"

In answer, she grabbed him by the front of his coat, pulling him down to her level since he was a few inches taller than her. He lost his balance because of how suddenly she yanked on him and fell over on top of her, knocking her to the ground. The two continued their kiss, apparently not caring what position they were in.

Kathleen, stunned, watched the two for a moment. "Aki...? What's she doing...?"

Without so much as a glance at the couple on the ground, Akiko, a lame look on her face, answered casually, "Trying to eat his face."

"Uh-huh... Yeah, okay..."

Asuka and Judai's kiss broke up.

"Judai, you just...," she said, stunned.

"Uh-huh," he said, equally stunned—that was probably the first time he had done anything remotely romantic with his girlfriend without being assaulted mentally or physically.

"Well, I have to admit it," Fubuki said. "You're cute together. But remember, treat her right, or else!"

Shaking with annoyance and embarrassment, Asuka muttered, "Nii-san, drop it already."

"That's what I was planning on," Judai answered the older boy, squeezing his girlfriend lightly.

She blushed in response.

"Attention!" a voice came from the boat. "Will all students please board the boat at this time! We will be departing for Duel Academy in a few minutes."

"That's our cue, ladies and gents," Akiko said.

"Alright!" Johan said. "Let's go, everyone! On to our next adventure!"

"Right!" Kathleen agreed.

Manjoume got up off the ground, helping his girlfriend up as well. Hayato and Sho raced to the boat, while the others walked there calmly, leaving only Asuka and Judai standing there.

"Well, we better get on board, then," Asuka said. "What do you think our next adventure's gonna be like?"

"Hopefully nothing involving bombs or the forces of evil," Judai said, grinning. "I think I've had enough of those for one lifetime."

Asuka laughed. "Yeah, me, too. Come on, let's go."

She took his hand, and the two of them boarded the boat to Duel Academy, ready for whatever their next adventure might bring.


End file.
